Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon R
by ShootingStar147
Summary: Okay so I lost my way on the last story but something reawoke my creative energy that is watching some Pretty Guardian!  This is my story about what I think could have been done with a second series in the Live Action form
1. Prologue

Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon R

NOTE: Pretty Guardian and all segments of the Sailor Moon Universe belong to Naoko Takeuchi, TOEI Animation and any other respective owners that may have been involved in the series. This is just my version of what I think could/would have happened if "Pretty Guardian" was given a second series. Any and all comments, criticism and help can be sent to

One more thing: As with the original live action series this story will be wrote in "Acts" despite being wrote in the tradition novel format. Thank you for your attention and enjoy one writer's retelling of "Sailor Moon R" in the universe of "Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon!

Act 1

"USAGI!"

Ah the familiar call of Ikuko Tuskino to her daughter ,Usagi Tuskino, from her slumber. One of the few things that almost NEVER changes!

Today was a big day for Usagi as it was the day after the ultimate defeat of Queen Beryl and all was perceived to be well. Even with being her usual late self to class(and the inevitable scolding from the teacher that she got) Usagi's life was as simple as one could be!

_Meanwhile in another part of the world..._

"You're sending me where?" A young man asked his supervisor incredulously. Apparently the young man wasn't thrilled with the announcement his boss gave him and he was going to let him know it despite it being his orders.

"Relax son" The Supervisor of schools started "I've heard from the staff here that you have been wanting to go to Japan for a while and ,while you are still a rookie in the eyes of some, I've decided to grant you your request." The Supervisor told him and while it was true that for this particular individual that he wanted to go the bigger question he had was a simple one: Whom sent in the transfer?

_Back in Japan..._

"...And so beginning in two days we decided to give this new guy a shot. I was surprised to get a notice that we were having a new teacher transfer to this school...especially from the States but I do expect you all to be on your best behaviour for him...understood?" The Vice Principal told the students in the class and they all responded with a unanimous affirmative before he left the class room. This announcement truly caught Haruna Sakurda off guard and was deeply concerned that she was getting let go from the school. This caught the attention of one of the students whom made their way to the front of the class and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder

"Everything will be okay Haruna-Sensei. I'm sure the school wouldn't let you go for any dumb reason. You've been a very good teacher to us all and it would be a shame for this school to lose you." The student told the teacher and Haruna just smiled before addressing the student. "I appreciate that Mizuno-san. I don't think they'll let me leave this school but I am curious about this new transfer we have and whom asked for it to happen." Haruna replied and Ami just nodded before going back to her seat attentively listening to her Sensei's directions as everyone did.

_Philadelphia Int'l Airport...12 Midnight_

"FLIGHT 250 FOR TOKYO AIRPORT IS NOW BOARDING! ALL PASSENGERS ARE TO REPORT TO GATE 13 IMMEDIATELY!"

[Yawning]"This better be worth keeping me out of my comfort zone. I swear if I get one pain in the ass student we're gonna have issues I can tell that already!" The teacher exclaimed as he headed out through the gate and onto the tarmac to catch his flight. As he got onto the plane and looked at his surroundings and the fact that it was a first class ticket his suspicions REALLY started to get the better of him! "Sir..sir are you feeling okay?" The stewardess asked and the young man did his best to be polite given the circumstances.

"About as good as one can feel when you have to go halfway around the world to go teach abroad but then again I think I'll manage." The young man told the Stewardess whom smiled politely and as she left stuck a present in his sportsjacket as she left. The young man looked at the Stewardess and then the pilot before taking his seat and the plane took off. Halfway through the trip the young man awoke from his slumber and looked over the ocean and how peaceful everything appeared to be. As he looked out of the window he started humming a song that he could have sworn he NEVER heard before but he couldn't stop humming it for some reason and it became infectious between him, the pilot and the stewardess as the whole rest of the trip it seemed that was order of and as the got closer to Tokyo the lady asked him where he heard the song from.

"I have no idea my dear. All I know is for some reason it crossed my mind and I just started humming it! I know...weird right?" The gentlemen asked and ,while both the pilot and stewardess agreed the discussion couldn't go any further as they touched down and a cab was waiting for him to take him to the apartment that was arranged for him by the school system. His bags were already picked up by someone and sent to the apartment he would be staying at...how long would be a different story!

"Alright sir this is the place." The cab driver explained to the young teacher and as he looked up at the building in question he wasn't all that surprised at how nice the complex was. The mystery was whom was doing all these arrangements and on whose dime? Answers would have to wait as he got up to his apartment and just crashed on the couch that was there and slept for a good bit and not waking till about 10 AM in the morning.

Good thing he didn't start work today huh?

As the young man got his bearings and looked around his apartment he started to take to it immediately and enjoyed the food that was stocked in the pantry and cooked himself a nice breakfast: Eggs, coffee and French Toast were the order of the day as he ate his meal and watched the news where surprisingly HE of all things was the main headline!

ANNOUNCER: Last night a gentlemen flew in on a plane from the States. The individual is to be starting his duties as a teacher in Juuban Junior High School tomorrow but the questions that remain are "Who ordered the transfer of this gentleman to here?" and "Is teaching his real purpose?" We'll hopefully learn more as the days go on.

"Seriously? What..am I some American spy sent by the educational system of my country? I highly doubt that!" The individual yelled at the TV before looking at the clock and realizing it was about 11 AM and maybe he should get off of his butt and go check out the city. As he walked around town a lot of the citizens took to him rather warmly and even moreso when he ran into Ikuko she was very happy to see him! Could she have been the one?

"Ohayo!" Ikuko hollered out to the young man as she walked up to him. "Hello to you too ma'am. What can I do for you today?" The young man asked and Ikuko just smile warmly before speaking. "Nothing much sir. I hear you are the new teacher that transferred to our country. Is this true?" She asked and the young man just nodded. After a few more minutes of talking the two said their goodbyes and the young man walked down to the local Game Center where he met the owner ,Motoik Furhata, as he was tending to his turtle and he then moved on the going playing some games and as he did two girls walked behind him and up the stairs towards the Karaoke room and when the door shut it about vanished. This caught attention as he finished his game and brought it up to the owner.

"Excuse me sir...does this place have any 'secrets'? Like any special rooms that aren't visible to a normal person?" The young man asked and Motoki thought about it for a bit before politely answering "No sir...why is something the matter?" he asked and the young man lead him up the stairs where a door was that wasn't right then! "Sir...if you knew something would you spill it or keep it hidden as a promise to them?" The young man asked and Motoki told him that "respectfully sir I could not do that because I don't really know YOU yet although..." he cut himself off as he scratched his chin in thought before making his next statement "Are you the transfer that begins teaching tomorrow?" he asked and the young man nodded before he snapped his fingers and continued

"There's a lot of mystery around you sir. Do you know what's going on?" Motoki asked and the young man shook his head before speaking. "If I knew sir I don't think I'd be wondering what happened HERE!" The young man replied as he pointed to the wall where the door was. "I'm sorry I have yet to properly introduce myself haven't I?" Name's Joshua Curtis and I'm ,as you know already, the new transfer that will be teaching at Juuban tomorrow. Why I'm here I have no clue as that is the mystery I have to solve as well as who ordered my transfer. What I saw happen today with this wall just adds another layer for me." Joshua explained and Motoki nodded as Joshua patted him on the should and told him that if he found out what was going on to tell him/ Motoki nodded as Joshua walked out of the center and went back home

_During all of THAT..._

"What's up Luna?" a woman dressed in a sailor suited schoolgirl outfit asked as she took a seat in a blue-coloured chair. "Yeah Luna what's going on? Any evil presence coming our way or you just wanted to talk in private?" Another young woman asked dressed in the same outfit but her hair was done up in pigtails unlike the other girl whom was wearing glasses. Also this girl sat in a white coloured chair facing the cat.

"There is an energy coming our way soon. All I do know is one individual is here already that is supposed to help us but he don't know it yet. I'm more than positive that he'll be coming into focus soon and when he does..." Luna paused as a room materialized in the east wall of the room "this section of the room will belong to him!" Luna happily exclaimed and when the one young lady saw it she was absolutely speechless. That breath caught in her throat as the girls heard Motoki and Joshua outside of the room. The catch was while it was possible for them to get OUT because Joshua didn't have the pass he couldn't get IN. Luna almost smiled and the one young lady silently shed a tear but didn't tell anyone why as they adjourned for the day and the one young lady went knowing something but she couldn't exactly tell anyone what yet. This was a mystery that was about to have a new layer added but that would also have to be put on hold due to events that occurred later that night...

That night what looked to be a huge egg-like ship crashed into the street and all the usual suspects were there observing the damage when , at that same moment a huge UFO materialized and no one knew what was going on but they weren't given any time to digest it as within 10 minutes of the crash a youma appeared and attacked in the distance. This distraction was enough for the ship to flee while the two girls did their business

"MOON PRISM POWER..."

"MERCURY POWER..."

"**MAKE UP!"**

The girls transformed and after the monster attacked the civilian a familiar voice could be heard...

"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!"

The monster turned around and sure enough there stood Sailor Moon and Sailor Mercury!

"You got a lot of nerve attacking that woman. You're gonna pay for that now!" Sailor Moon exclaimed and as she glanced over at Sailor Mercury she nodded and they went after the monster trying to get him worn down for their attacks and succeeded in doing so when Mercury used her mist attack to fog the area followed by Moon's Twilight attack! One problem...the monster shook it off and started chasing them down the road away from the crash site when out of the blue another voice could be heard but this sounded like a man's voice..

"WARIORRRRR STTTTRRRRRIIIIIKKKKEEEEE!"

A beam pointed like an arrow flew straight down and sliced the monster in HALF! When the girl's got up they saw nothing but the jewel of the monster slashed in half and the remains a mangled mess. Who or WHAT was the cause of this and where were they? The blue haired girl tried as she could to get a bead on the person's location but no dice...add this to the list of mysteries that would need to be resolved.

The good news: One mystery might be resolved sooner than they think!

NEXT TIME...

Oh boy! New enemies are abound...this can't be good!

But wait...who is this person that just saved them from their enemy? Will he be around again and more importantly will they get to see his face if he shows himself?

All this and much more in Act 2 of Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon R!


	2. Who is the Man named Cloud?

Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon R

Act 2

The next day was an interesting day for the girls. When they arrived at school they were told to go immediately to the auditorium after changing into their school shoes and that the assembly would take about 10-20 minutes. When the girls got there two students were up on the stage as well as another well dressed gentleman standing next to the Principal. As everyone took their seats for the assembly the Principal began speaking.

"May I have your attention" He began "we have with us two new students that will be joining the school as of today. Would you two please introduce yourselves?" He asked and they politely obliged. "My name is Seijuro Ginga" The taller brown haired man said as he introduced himself to the school. "My name is Natsumi Ginga and I am his younger sister." the red headed girl said and politely bowed and this was observed by the man standing in the back with his hands in his pockets while the Principal got set to introduce him.

"And now it is my pleasure to introduce this transfer from the States. We don't know much about him except that he will be assigned to one of the classrooms as a teacher and I expect you to be on your best behaviour for him. Son would you mind introducing yourself to the students?" The principal asked and Joshua politely bowed to the Principal and the students before he addressed them.

"My name is Joshua Curtis. You may call me Joshua-Sensei ,Curtis-Sensei or just Josh will do. I was sent to this school by an order from someone. I do not know whom but I will do my best to assist any of you ,student or not, in your studies because that is one thing I was good for when I worked in the States and I earned the respect of the student population and the staff. I hope that whatever class I get will show me the proper respect and I will give you the same. Good day!" Joshua said and stepped back towards the curtain as the Principal dismissed the students to go to their respective classrooms.

As Joshua exited with the new students he was given his roll book and when he saw the class number outwardly he smiled but even he didn't know why! The class was in fact "1-1" and when he opened the roll book he saw a name that looked vaguely familiar but shook it off as he made his way towards the classroom and slid the door open to a bunch of eager students. Joshua knew something had to be up so he addressed them now.

"Don't think of any pranks to pull as long as I'm here. I have a job to do and I know that a lot of you want Haruna...that's fine but let's keep any pranks away from me because I won't tolerate it. Are we clear?" He asked and everyone nodded and amazingly there were NO pranks pulled at all...even when he took roll!

"Tuskino Usagi?"

"HERE!"

"Kino Makoto"

"HERE!"

"Gurio Umino"

"HERE!"

"Mizuno Ami"

"h-HERE SENSEI!"

Ami's reaction caught everyone off guard and caused Joshua to look up from the roll book for a minute and then continue as if nothing happened. The day went without much incident as the only thing that did happen was someone slipped a whoopie cushion on his seat and that student got sent to the principal on the spot!

NOTE TO STUDENTS: This teacher you don't jerk with!

As the school day ended Joshua packed his things and was on his way out the door when Ami stopped him in the hallway. "Curtis-Sensei um..." Ami stopped as she was struggling to get something out and Joshua could tell it was something important as he unknowingly placed a hand on the shy girl's shoulder. "Ami...if its something important it will come to you. Gather yourself and when you're ready to tell me whatever it is that you need to tell me I'll listen...okay?" He asked and Ami nodded and again a single tear shed down her cheek and this didn't go unnoticed by Joshua whom instinctively embraced her and walked with her out of the building. As they walked out Seijuro looked over at Natsumi with a pleasant smile on his face.

"That HAS to be the guy that annihilated that monster! The problem is that if it is the school board here would freak out right?" Seijuro asked Natsumi and she just nodded before reverting to her true form as En. "We need his help and that of the Sailor Senshi Ail and you know that. The problem is I don't think he's willing to let his power awaken just yet if at all." She explained as they teleported back to their hotel room.

_Mizuno Household_

It took 20 minutes but Joshua had walked Ami home and gave her hand one more assuring squeeze before heading off back to his apartment and Ami's mind started wandering...but only briefly! "Ami? Ami come in!" Saeko told her daughter as she snapped out of her daze and slowly walked towards her room where she set her bag down and looked at a picture from when she was a baby and she noticed a boy cradled next to her in the nursery. Could this have been the teacher?

Dinner time came and as Ami set the table for her and her mother she seemed to have a flashback to a time long since forgotten...

_FLASHBACK_

"Your Highness" A servant called out and Princess Mercury turned and gave her undivided attention to the gentlemen. "What can I do for you today sir?" Mercury said with a pleasant smile and the gentleman's heart went a-flutter. "I was just wondering...how's your brother been? We haven't seen him around much and people have been getting worried that he's gone missing from the Palace grounds." The gentleman said in a reply and Mercury did ponder the question thoughtfully before answering. "Cloud is always a mystery to the Kingdom. He acts on his own accord with Zoisite and they are almost never seen together. I HAVE observed them together every so often but its usually in the concert hall when Zoi practices his music. Other than that...Cloud is not just my brother...he's one of my best friends here." She explained and as if on cue when the servant left and she turned around the "Man of the Hour" turned up in his white suit and tie.

"Its nice to know that there are people that worry about my whereabouts." Cloud said with a smirk and Mercury all but ran up to her brother and gave him a big hug. This caught the "Warrior of Mercury" off guard but at the same time he knew how important his sister's happiness was and whenever she's like this he's about the only one that she can turn to in a moment of crisis.

_And then it all went in the shitter..._

Three days later and the Dark Kingdom attacked and sadly one of the most important pieces to the defence of the Kingdom ,Lord Zoisite, had turned his back on the entire Moon Kingdom and in the battle to save the Kingdom a lot of people were mortally wounded and not the least of which was Mercury. When Cloud saw his now former friend in Zoisite working with Queen Beryl the rage that was in him boiled over 10 fold!

"ZOISITE!" He screamed "DON'T LET ME FIND YOU ON EARTH BECAUSE IF I DO SO HELP ME GOD YOU'RE A DEAD MAN!" He bellowed but the eccentric Lord just flipped his hair back, laughed and the massacre continued. Had it not been for Queen Serenity the Moon Kingdom would have truly lost the battle. In Cloud's mind however the Kingdom DID lose! It lost the Princesses of each Kingdom, He lost a good friend and His sister was mortally wounded and dying...it pretty much was a bad day for them!

"Mercury wake up! Sis wake up PLEASE!" Cloud yelled but it was no use. His sister was dying in his arms and the Queen had one last act before she passed on. "Cloud...Luna...Artemis" She said weakly and all three of them made their way to the dying Queen. "You're time serving me is almost over...I want...each of you to live happily on Earth and when the time comes...you...will...all...awaken" Were the final words of the Queen as the crystal and Moon Stick dropped and everyone was sealed away to awaken on Earth when the proper time came!

_END FLASHBACK_

"He...he's here...HE'S HERE!" Ami yelled and this got a strange look from Saeko as they sat down for dinner. "Who's here Ami...someone you know?" The elder Mizuno asked and Ami jumped a few feet before nervously walking to her seat at the table before settling down and eating supper. "It's...nothing mom. I was just thinking aloud is all." Ami said in a nervous reply and that was the end of the conversation for the rest of the meal until she got up, cleared the table and excused herself to her room and got back to her studies. What could she have POSSIBLY been hiding from her mother?

_Joshua's Apartment_

[RING RING]

"ONE MINUTE!" Joshua called out from the bathroom as he finished getting ready for bed when the phone rang...problem was it wasn't his land-line phone or his normal cell phone...where was it coming from? The answer came from a phone that he had never seen before...at least not that he remembered and when he answered it weird stuff started happening! When Joshua hung the phone up he assumed that no one was on the other end and then he looked in the mirror and let out a blood curdling scream that ,had the walls not been insulated and soundproofed, the entire apartment could have heard it! "What...what happened to me? Who is that staring in the mirror back at me? WHY is this happening to me? Someone help me understand what in the hell is going on?" Joshua screamed as he shakily made his way to his couch and just stared blankly at the TV that he hadn't turned on yet.

"You rang?" A voice called out and Joshua looked around but couldn't see anyone. What kind of sick game was this? "Alright pal you got about 1 minute to show yourself before I go tearing this apartment apart looking for you! Now where in the hell are you?" He yelled and the voice just laughed before speaking again. "In due time Joshua no...'Warrior Cloud'. You will know all you need to know and I will help you understand your past. I will tell you this much: You DID notice the reaction that Mizuno-san gave when you called her name out for roll today...did you not?" The voice asked and Cloud stood there and thought about what was asked. He HAD noticed that Ami started crying when she was standing in front of him but why? He asked her what was wrong and she couldn't tell him. What was she hiding?

Nothing more came out of the conversation except for the fact that yet again a civilian's voice could be heard screaming and Cloud's expression changed to one of a determined man to help whomever was in trouble. He composed himself and stormed out of the apartment and made sure that no one he knew saw him. As he hid in the background the two Senshi were joined by a third party this time with brown hair and a ponytail and this one was apparently controlled by a female dressed in blue...but not whom he thought it was! No...this person was named "Berthier" and for some reason not even three women could take this ,what would be found out later to be called a "droid" could be taken down by their attacks! Cloud knew that he HAD to spring into action

Out of nowhere the following phrase was heard:

"WARRRRRRIIIIOOOORRRRR STTTTTRRRRRRIIIIIIKKKKEEEE!"

Same attack and the same grizzly result to the monster and Berthier couldn't believe what she had just seen! Whom in the hell possessed that kind of power and more importantly where were they? Luna followed the smell of the burned flesh and walked down the alleyway where she saw the figure disappear when she heard the following echo through the night:

"I want to meet the girls behind the Senshi. I want to meet the three I helped tonight out of uniform at a location of their choosing and more importantly I want to reunite with my sister. Her name is Mercury and I love her dearly. Help me with this and I will show myself to you the next time I help you. Can you do that for me?" The seemingly disembodied voice asked and Luna nodded as the three girls: Mercury, Moon and Jupiter showed in the alleyway and for the third time that day Mercury shed a tear but this one was different...she was going to get her brother back!

NEXT TIME...

"Mizuno-san"

"Yes Joshua"

"You wanna hang out later?"

New Teacher, New mysterious voices and apparently this one knows Ami and Joshua-Sensei. What do we do? If he finds out..

Ami: Relax Tuskino-san I think all will be okay

Usagi: You do?

Makoto: Is it true you had a brother Ami-Chan?

Ami: Well...

Next time on Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon R: Ami-chan's family reunion! The "Heavenly Warrior"'s identity revealed!


	3. Heavenly Warrior

Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon R

Act 3

_Curtis' Apartment_

The sun was shining through the bedroom window of Joshua's apartment and he was surprisingly chipper for what he had endured only hours before! What with the sudden realization that apparently his life that he was leading prior to coming to Japan and the fact that it seemed he was sent to not just teach students but protect a person that was VERY important in his life then what can you do...right?

He climbed out of bed and grabbed a shower before making his cereal and turning on the news which covered the appearance of the Sailor Soldiers, a strange woman and of course the grizzly destruction of the monster that had been killed for the second straight time. No one could trace whom was behind the attacks but the bigger question was simply this: How much longer would he keep it secret?

If he has his way...not much longer!

As he walked out of his apartment and down to the mail to gather it before he headed off to the school Joshua noticed an envelope stuffed in his locker. Whom it came from wasn't specified...although he had a good idea but the contents are what surprised him! Apparently someone either knows his alter ego or at the very least has a hunch that its him and sent him the pass. Josh stuffed that in where he kept the rest of his cards and headed off to school to get there before everyone else

Well...almost!

_Mizuno Household_

Ami Mizuno a.k.a. "Sailor Mercury" was just finishing washing up and getting ready for school when she got a phone call from Usagi. "Moshi Moshi Mizuno residence how can I help you?" Ami asked as pleasantly as she could while getting ready for school. "Ami-chan...I wanted to call you to make sure that you were okay. You seemed like something was bothering you and if there's anything I can do..." Usagi tried to finish her thought but was cut off by Ami. "Everything's fine here Tuskino-san...I just had something on my mind last night is all. I'll be fine don't worry about me okay?" She asked and Usagi gave an affirmative before they hung up and Ami finished getting ready. Today was going to be a special day and she could just feel it in her body...why would be another matter entirely!

7:00 came and Joshua was at the school preparing for his day when he saw that there was a "midnight blue" coloured cat watching him through the window and without anyone noticing he nodded and saluted before heading off to his classroom. When he got there Ami was standing there waiting patiently for her Sensei to open the classroom up and that made Joshua smile but mainly because he knew how devoted to her studies she was.

"Ohayo Mizuno-san" Joshua said and that caught Ami by surprise! Why she didn't know but for some reason it seemed weird to her for him to call her by her surname. What was going on? "Ohayo Curtis-sensei" Ami replied as they entered the classroom together and Joshua took his seat behind his desk while Ami went to her seat and began her vigorous studying. While Ami studied Joshua opened his wallet and stared at the pass he was given before he left for work. It still puzzled him what was going on but then again the mere sight of him acknowledging a cat he's NEVER seen before would really make things curious wouldn't it? He had to investigate this further.

"Ami...do you know of any cats in this area? Say...oh I dunno a cat that looks to be either black or a midnight kind of blue?" Joshua asked as casually as he could so as not to alert the woman that could be/if not was his sister. "I don't think there are any cats like that around here Sensei...did you see one?" She asked and Joshua nodded. This gave Ami pause but didn't let it rattle her as the rest of the morning and for that matter rest of the school day went without too much incident. Usagi was late(but that's normal) and Ami sat up on the roof by herself completely isolated from the rest of the students. Josh grabbed his lunch and headed up there himself but not so much to "spy" on Ami but more because he felt bad seeing her by herself.

"You know the kids are going to think you're antisocial if you keep this up." Joshua said as he sat down on one of the stools on the roof. "I'm aware but..." Ami stopped herself and just continued eating her sandwich and studying. This made Joshua smile because one thing that his "session" last night taught him was his sister was as smart as a tack and very much to herself. "Ami...bah forget it!" He said as he ate his egg roll and drank his soda pop that he packed for lunch. "What's wrong Joshua? Something bothering you?" Ami asked and Josh shook his head but she knew otherwise.

"I have cram school today after class but afterwards I'm meeting up with some friends of mine at the CROWN. Do you want to come?" Ami asked and Joshua stopped his sandwich before it ever got completely into his mouth,

JACKPOT!

"Miss Mizuno it would be a pleasure to go with such a studious young lady as yourself. What time are you going to be done school so I know when to meet you?" He asked and Ami smiled as maybe...just maybe she could figure out whom the "Warrior" is and then get her brother back in one shot!

When the school day ended Ami went home, got changed and headed off to the cram school as she said. The time they set at lunch was at between 6:45 P.M. And 7. Ami knew that she would be done between those times and made sure to not be late because her vision of the night prior told her how prompt "Cloud" could be.

7:00 P.M.

Ami finished up her class and headed for the entrance. When she got there Joshua was waiting in a t-shirt and blue jeans smiling happily and waiting to escort her to the CROWN. "My my is this how the lovely and studious Ami Mizuno dresses when she goes out? I now feel woefully under-dressed!" He playfully teased and Ami just smiled as the two walked out of the seminar and headed for the Karaoke Center.

When they got there Ami showed her pass first to Motoki but what she DIDN'T see was Joshua show his to Motoki as well(as well as 2000JPY/about $20USD) and walked up the stairs with Ami. When Ami saw Joshua behind her she was about to ask the simple "What's up?" when Joshua showed his pass.

All went silent for about 5 minutes as they both walked in...

Was it a surprise to see Ami speechless? No because Joshua knew from reading her file that she wasn't the most talkative student in the school and that was fine but was this shock too great for her? That answer came almost the MINUTE the set foot on the floor of the room behind that door!

"Josh are you telling me...no it can't...I was supposed to be..." Ami tried to formulate the proper sentence and Josh knew what he had to do. "Ami...I may have only been in Japan for what is now my...third or fourth day but within my second day here I had learned a lot about myself just as I know you might have had something revealed to YOU about that same time." Joshua explained and when he showed the phone he had in his back pocket Ami damn near fainted! The only thing that kept her upright was the man standing in front of her but what was even more shocking to her was when she felt a warm glow next to her and she looked up to see the person apparently responsible for helping her friends the past two nights!

The reunion would be only briefly interrupted after he reverted back to his normal form by the door opening and in walking Usagi, Kino Makoto and a woman that was introduced as Rei Hino. When the trio saw Ami standing next to the teacher that Makoto and Usagi had warning bells were about to go off except for the fact that Luna recognized Joshua from earlier and leaped up onto the table to greet him! Luna leaped up onto Joshua's shoulder and purred like a pleased little pet while the other three girls were stunned at what was going on. Did an intruder break in to their base and brainwash their feline friend?

"Relax gang I can explain...just about everything. There are still some fuzzy spots in my mind but I can explain the essential stuff for you if that's what you require." He told the girls and everyone sat down at the table as he explained everything he knew and all of it matched up to Ami's flashback the night before. When he was done explaining the situation that got him to the point he was at everyone seemed satisfied but Rei had a question on her mind. "So when you got sent to Usagi's school it was because someone specifically got you Usagi's class? How did they know what class to get you?" She asked and Luna answered for him.

"I was the one responsible for that Rei. I knew that if he found three of the Sailor Soldiers in the class he was teaching either something in him would trigger or he would start to figure things out on his own." She explained as she turned to Joshua before speaking again. "You were a fine warrior for Mercury and almost no one had the power you had. Your friendship with Zoisite was the only thing that rivaled your love for your sister and I had to do what I could to bring you two back together. Can you lend us your assistance if we need it and will we be able to count on you as the warrior you once were?" She asked Joshua whom nodded in reply before speaking to the group assembled

"You have my word as the 'Heavenly Warrior' and protector of Mercury that I will do what I can to aid you in your battles against the evils that come against us. Nothing is going to prevent me from fulfilling my duties as a Warrior of the Queen's court and that...is my word and bond!" Joshua exclaimed and that was enough for all of the girls assembled. Ami was almost in tears again but held them back as she hugged her brother tightly. If It was up to her this moment wouldn't end but there was one more piece of business to handle.

"Joshua look behind you" Luna asked and Josh complied when he saw the room that the girls had seen earlier and all he could do was smile and say "Thank you" to Luna as they packed up and Joshua just stood at the table for one more minute with the realization that his life had just been turned upside down and there was no turning back!

That night walking home from the CROWN Joshua walked Ami to the door again but before leaving this time made one solid promise: He would go to see Saeko within the next three days to explain(almost) everything to her about where he's been most of Ami's life. Hopefully she understood!

Over the next few days Joshua spent time helping out the students at the school including Makoto and Usagi so that they didn't fall behind in their studies. It was his way of giving back to the students for helping him out as he got adjusted to the new climate and country and for that he was eternally grateful. On the third day after the revelations to each other Ami went to her cram school for the evening and Joshua stayed true to his word and went to her house to go see the woman that was his mother...as luck would have it though something prevented him from fulfilling that right then!

This go-round the Phantom that was causing the problems was named Petz and she ,along with her droid, were causing quite a problem from the people in the jewelry store and if you could believe it Ail and En were watching the events unfold scared out of their minds! They wanted to come to Earth not to fight but to live without incident and these bastards weren't letting them be. Ail was about to use his flute when En saw the girls coming and there was a quartet with Jupiter, Mars, Mercury and Moon. The surprise to them was that the "mysterious man" that had been attacking the monsters almost without warning hadn't already whacked this creature. Was he testing them?

"SHINE AQUA ILLUSION!" Mercury called out and the monster was frozen solid

"BURNING..."

"SPARKLING WIDE..."

"MANDALA!"

"PRESSURE!" Mars and Jupiter screamed at almost identical times and fired their attacks hitting the monster and critically wounding it

"NOW SAILOR MOON!"

"MOON SCEPTER..."

[ZAP!]

Petz fired off a blast of electricity that cleared all the girls away and prevented the attack from getting off. This gave the monster enough time to send the girls running and as they did Mercury made the only plea she could...

"Heavenly Warrior ,Protector of Mercury, if you hear this call please come to our aid now!"

_Three blocks away..._

(I gotta learn the streets better here. This is ridic...)

Josh's thoughts were cut off when he looked at his phone and dare we say..."made the call"

"Hope you got some minutes on ya cos its SHOWTIME!"

Josh punched in the number and uttered the words for the first time

"WARRIORRRRRR...POOOOOWWWWWEEERRRRR!"

After uttering those words the transformation from a leisurely dressed civilian began into the all white warrior that was known to the planet of Mercury: Warrior Cloud!

Back at the fight the girls were trying their best to hold off the monster and Petz was giving a good chase to her prey but stopped when she heard one thing:

"COMET...CRAAAAAASSSSHHHH!"

A ball of light in the shape of a human blasted through so quickly that if the Senshi waited a second more THEY would either have died or been severely weakened from the attack but as it turned out the monster got the brunt and Petz ran scared like the coward she was! When the attack was over Cloud was weakened slightly but not enough to give Usagi the order...and she obliged!

"MOON SCEPTER ESCLATION!"

Within seconds the monster was vaporized and all that was left was the ash from the monster. All the senshi ran over to Cloud whom was still a little woozy from doing the attack but the girls helped him the best they could. Atop the building Ail and En saw the attack Joshua used and wondered whom he learned the attacks from and how long the Senshi would be able to rely on him. One thing was for sure though: Cloud protected them all...especially Mercury!

As Joshua was walking with Ami down the street he remembered the promise he made to Ami three days earlier. Tonight was the deadline!

[KNOCK KNOCK]

Saeko heard the knock at the door but knew that it couldn't be Ami...hers was lighter than what she heard and when she opened the door only two words came out of Joshua's mouth

"Hello...mom!"

NEXT TIME

Oh boy Joshua has some explaining to do!

Ami-chan...dating? Ami...who's this young man?

Mako-chan goes to visit Minako's studio? This should prove to be intersting!

And who's that woman in the tutu? She seems like bad news!

Next time in Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon R!


	4. Lunas Presents

LAST TIME...

As Joshua was walking with Ami down the street he remembered the promise he made to Ami three days earlier. Tonight was the deadline!

[KNOCK KNOCK]

Saeko heard the knock at the door but knew that it couldn't be Ami...hers was lighter than what she heard and when she opened the door only two words came out of Joshua's mouth

"Hello...mom!"

Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon R

Act 4

Saeko was completely stunned when she heard this young man that she could have sworn she never met call her mom. It was something that didn't go unnoticed by Ami whom placed a hand on their mother's shoulder before speaking. "Why don't we have a seat and the dinner table and we'll try to explain as much as we can...sound good?" She politely asked and the elder Mizuno nodded as they walked to the kitchen where Ami and Joshua made the coffee and got the snacks out before laying them on the table and taking their respective seats at the table. Saeko was still in so much shock that she didn't know exactly WHAT to say so she started off as simple as she could.

"How have you been...Josh is it?" She asked as she was struggling trying to thing of the young man's name as Joshua got his cup of coffee before answering. "I've been well mom. I actually just moved back here a few days ago because of my job and when I heard the school and saw the class I was assigned to I was happy it was Ami-chan's." Joshua explained and Saeko just quietly nodded before glancing over at her youngest child and his younger sister before speaking again. "Ami...why didn't you tell me that Hiro came back? I would have loved to have seen him on his first day on the job!" Saeko exclaimed and this elicited a chuckle from Ami before she could address her mother.

"Well for starters he doesn't go by his birth name. When he was adopted by an American family he had his name legally changed to Joshua Curtis per the wishes of his American parents and for a second I didn't know he came back to Japan until I saw that Haruna's name was taken off the Homeroom assignment. Joshua still is trying to figure out whom ordered his transfer in the first place...right bro?" Ami asked Josh but he just shook that off as something not all that important. What WAS important to him ,as he explained to his mother was that he fulfilled a promise to his sister to come hom and talk to Saeko.

"I haven't touched your room Joshua...well there's a bed in there now and some other odds and ends but its yours if you ever want to come back home." The elder Mizuno told Joshua and he smiled as he looked at his sister before asking if those were her wishes too. Ami nodded and he agreed to move back in once he settled his agreement with the landlord of his apartment. Dr. Mizuno looked confused and when Joshua explained the situation she told him that she knew the landlord so all would be fine in getting the agreement terminated OR he could still use it as a secondary home if things got too busy around there. Josh politely declined the offer to keep the apartment but didn't tell her about a project he was working on elsewhere and ,to be frank, Ami was a little left in the dark about this also but knowing her brother the way she was getting to know him it must have been a big surprise that was important to him.

That night Joshua packed most of his clothes from the apartment and made his way back to the Mizuno residence. On the way he saw someone that was going to become one of his best friends: LUNA!

"Going somewhere Joshua?" Luna asked pretty pointedly and Joshua just smiled as he spoke to her. "Just home. I'm going to begin the process of moving back in to my Mother's home to be with Ami. She's a good kid Luna and smart as a whip...which I love about her but I also worry about her. Is it true she was converted evil at one point?" Joshua asked the guardian cat and Luna stiffened as he asked that. This told Joshua all he needed to know. "I see" He began "This worries me a great deal Luna. First you dealt with those 'Dark Kingdom' bastards and during that time my sister was captured and forced to do their bidding and now I'm here! I just hope it doesn't happen again because to fight Ami is NOT something I ever want to have to deal with." Joshua told Luna and the guardian cat of the moon could only nod in response. Luna now started to understand the bond between the two Mercurian siblings and what the hurt of one meant for the other.

The next day all was as it should have been: Both Ami and Joshua woke at about the same time and ,seeing as it was Sunday, that meant no school! Ami got dressed ,went out to the kitchen to do some reading and checked the board for any messages from their mother while Joshua also got dressed ,showered and headed out the door to the CROWN to ,as he put it to Ami, "take care of a project". Ami just happily nodded and told him to call if he needed her for anything and he complied with the order as he headed out.

When Joshua got to the CROWN no one(Save Motoki) was there as he showed his pass and walked into the HQ and headed for his room where his computer was on "stand by". As he logged in to the network and looked at the screen in front of him he opened the menu for his "gift" to the senshiL An add-on where they could stay if they needed to rest or just "get away from it all". The idea came up when ,during a discussion with Rei, it was found out that sometimes they just want to have a place that they could use for their "Halfway" if they needed it. Josh thought the idea was interesting but didn't confirm whether it could be done or not. He was good at computers yes but he never designed a whole room before so the task that he had was a tall one.

It was about 11:30 when he got the door and access button finished and most of the guesstimates for the beds when a knock came at his chamber door. That wasn't surprising but it was when he opened the door and saw no one there save a plushie of Mercury sitting at the entrance. He picked up the plush toy and placed it at his desk before shutting the computer down and heading back to his mother's house and when he got in he was BEAT! He left for the house at about 11:30/noon and spent about 11 hours or so working on the dimensions for the door and the beds and he had to figure out what to do for Luna's which was arguably the most taxing part of the day. When he got to sleep at about 2:30 A.M. A small figure walked into his bedroom and placed another item on his dresser. This time it was a pin of some kind with Mercury's symbol and when Joshua saw this on his dresser the next day while getting ready for work he had a MINOR freakout. Just when things start getting back to normal they get a little more creepy with him...who knows!

At school he arrived with Ami and they parted ways as he signed in at the Front Office before heading to the classroom with his sister. Surprisingly no one at the school called shenanigans with the teacher being given his sister's class but then again he never gave preferential treatment either. He scolded her once for wearing earphones during a test(she told him later she honestly forgot she had them in) and that was all. All of the students showed the upmost respect to Joshua as a teacher and when he went "Off the books" and did what he called a "social recognition" lecture they all listened intently and that was the case today!

"Alright class" He began "I want your undivided attention up her at the podium because today I want to talk about family situations. By a show of hands how many of you have a mother and father that you live with?" he asked and about 10 of the 20 students raised their hands. When he asked about students living with their fathers only 6 raised their hands 3 lived with their mothers(Ami being one) and one lived alone(Makoto). Seeing this Joshua was surprised at how the students situations were and then decided to take it a step further.

"Have any of you in here today ever been separated from a sibling for a period of time?" Josh asked and outside of Ami only two students raised their hands. Their stories actually checked out like Joshua's and Ami's which surprised him but at the same time Ami was happy to see that there were people like her and Joshua that had that happen. Usagi was surprised to find out that Ami and her Sensei were actually separated siblings at one point. It truly made her feel bad for her genius friend and almost made her run to Ami to give her a hug during class but thought better of it so as not to get Curtis-sensei mad at her.

"If you are wondering what the point of those questions was it was to show that there are those of us that have different living situation or have had different consequences happen where our living arrangements cause difficulties at times with making friends in social settings. I'm not going to tell you to pity students that had harder upbringings but for some of us growing up was a lot harder than you'll realize. Some of us might have had parents die or they divorced or we got fed up with whom we lived with and moved out. Any of these things can make socializing amongst our peers incredibly difficult.

I heard from a student not that long ago that when people met Ami for the first time it wasn't easy to get to know her. I know my sister well enough to know that she's like me in that we don't socialize with a lot of people and maybe we need to work on that. I know that I've heard through the grapevine Ami-chan has started to open up to certain individuals and some other individuals are starting to let their guard down a bit. I applaud those people because let me tell you the more we try to get along with each other rather than agitate/bully/whatever you want to call it the more we will be able to bridge any gaps that we have socially...agreed?" Joshua asked and they all gave out one big "HAI!" to which Joshua then told them it was time for a quick test and then lunch. Surprising of all the students Usagi made a passing grade along with the not so surprising Ami-chan. Makoto was middle of the pack and Gurio Umino was just one point under Ami!

When lunch came Joshua sat at his desk to see if Ami was going to go to the roof again...and she did but most surprising was Usagi went with her! This caught Joshua off guard but at the same time he was happy because he knew the bond that the two friends had and wondered if the lecture would help Ami in the long run get a slightly bigger social network...well one could hope right?

_Rooftop_

It was a rather nice day out and some students did take advantage of the weather with Seijuro, Natsumi, Naru Osaka, Makoto and of course Ami, all taking a seat up there. Apparently Ami's "secret place" wasn't so secret anymore but none of the students bothered her or did anything to annoy her so it was all good there. What was a shock was when Joshua went to go up there to sit with Ami and he saw Usagi there! He diverted course and decided to go eat lunch in the classroom and let them be.

"I think your brother was just up here Ami-chan" Usagi noted and the girl genius of 1-1 looked up and duly noted it before speaking to her friend. "Before the lecture I think maybe he thought it would drive people further from me to where I was eating alone again. I should thank him for doing this sometime in the future." Ami replied in a tone that indicated she was actually quite happy to see people that are at least wanting to be around her. Maybe they didn't speak to her right away but during the lunch period there were a few students doing their best to be nice to the shy girl and she did her best to reciprocate in kind. As lunch ended even going back to the classroom she offered to help certain students if she had time before she needed to be at cram school. It was truly a sight to see and one that Joshua hoped would continue as long as he worked there.

After school was over Joshua got a phone call from a number he never saw before but the name on it seemed familiar but why he didn't know. "Moshi Moshi?" Joshua said in greeting to the person on the other end. "You're just as I expected to be my liege..." And then the call ended as soon as it started. This slightly annoyed Joshua as he hated crank calls and that is what happened in this case! Another frickin' problem he needed to fix and they just wouldn't go...the hell...AWAY!

_Tuskino Residence_

Usagi had just gotten home and to her bedroom when she saw Luna sitting on her bed waiting patiently for her to come home. "Afternoon Usagi-chan!" Luna exclaimed as she greeted her senshi trainee. "Hey Luna. Anyone call today?" The leader of the senshi asked and Luna just shook her head. Usually no one calls the house anyway unless its a telemarketer and even then how do you explain a...never mind!

As Usagi hit the books Luna decided to see if Joshua was at the crown to leave him another present! Luckily for her he was but she had to work fast cos he didn't stay long on a school night. She made the item she was going to make(a special necklace that was for Mercury...why she didn't just give it to Ami is anyone's gusss) and then playfully skipped out of the room.

A pin, a Plushie and a Necklace...welcome to "Luna Logic" at its finest!

Joshua finished the rest of the room up and when he hit "End" the room materialized next to him and he looked around smiling at his handiwork. The girls were gonna be so proud!

And speaking of them (or at least one of them)...

Ami walked into the room and saw no one there. Joshua thought it would be best to stay in his room until the time was right and then walk out to surprise her. The interesting thing was that even though the room was soundproof Josh rigged a monitor so he could see what was going on outside and when he turned on the volume and heard Ami's melodic voice singing he could only smile. He knew Ami had a great voice and wished that she did it a lot more than she had to be honest. The song she was singing was Kirari* Sailor Dream and when she got to the chorus Josh walked out and sang the chorus with her at first she was shocked but then continued along with her brother and the two just had a blast for a little bit singing like fools! They hadn't ever done that before and to be honest it was something they promised to do a bit more often after this.

As it started getting late the two walked home together singing that song they sang in the HQ together smiling and laughing all the way home. The family was truly back together!

End of Act 4

Author's note: I wanted to do a chapter this time where it was not so much action as it was just getting to know people away from battle. I also like doing spotlight chapters and there will be more during the course of this story.

Oh and as for Luna...yes it was THAT Luna

Take Care :)


	5. A new friend

Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon R

Act 5

A few days had passed since Joshua built out the room for the girls and even more since the last attack from the Dark Moon Clan. This worried Joshua and Ami cos trying to get a beat on where they were going to attack next was going to be absolutely tricky. One thing was certain and that was that NOTHING was certain in what and where they attacked!

_Hikawa Shrine_

"Rei-Chan!" Usagi called out to the Shinto priestess and this caused Rei to look up from her sweeping to see a very bubbly Usagi bounding around the corner. Rei knew that whenever Usagi was THIS happy she had something planned and she didn't know if she wanted to know what! "Konnichiwa Usagi" Rei said in her usual calm manner "what can I do for you today?" she asked her friend and Usagi just smiled politely before speaking

"Nothing much" Usagi explained and when she saw Rei getting a little ticked she held her hands up before continuing "Curtis-Sensei told us in class today that he was going to be holding a 'Western style barbeque' and he's inviting students from different schools around the area." Usagi explained and Rei looked at her in disbelief. Usagi knew that she hated parties of any kind and that she wasn't good in situations like that ,so there was NO WAY she could ask her...right?

"Your teacher seems like a very nice guy...let me guess though you want me to come to the event no?" Rei asked and Usagi had that "BUSTED" look on her face. Rei actually felt sympathetic towards her friend but still politely declined. Usagi didn't argue with her and headed back towards the entrance where Joshua was waiting the whole time. "Its a shame she won't come Usagi but we can't force her. Some people don't like the large crowds or feel awkward in the environment." Joshua explained as they headed down the stairs of the Shrine. As they did Joshua reached into his pocket and looked at the necklace that someone left him back at the CROWN days earlier.

"What's that Josh? A gift for you?" Usagi asked as they continued walking towards the bus stop for them to go home. "A gift yes...just not for me." Joshua explained and when Usagi gave him that questioning look that he's come to know from her he explained further "According to the engraving on the back of this necklace its an item for Mercury. I'd love to know whom left it so that I could thank them for it but what's interesting is they couldn't give it to her directly." Joshua explained as the bus came and he paid for both fares.

"I'm sure you'll figure it out sensei. You're too smart like Ami-chan not too!" Usagi exclaimed and Josh chuckled at the comment which caused a bit of a gigglefest between the two all the way to the Mizuno residence where Joshua said his goodbye to Usagi as he got off the bus and headed inside the house.

_Mizuno Residence_

As Joshua entered the house he took his shoes off and walked into the kitchen and got his black tea out of the fridge when he saw a note from Ami on the dry erase board about her being at cram school and that she'd be a little late cos its a big test. Joshua just nodded and left the note on the board as he walked to his bedroom ,put his headphones on ,and graded the tests he needed to grade from the day prior. As he did he was trying to think of a way to convince Rei-chan to come to the event in a few days time. The problem there was going to be that after their first meeting back after the first time Cloud met Mars(sort of) that he knew she could be just as stubborn as he was but also he knew that he truly cared for her and he didn't want her to be alone anymore! Wait what was he THINKING? She's a student at a Catholic school for Pete's sake and he was thinking like THAT...WHY?

As he finished the last paper he needed to grade he looked at the clock on the wall in his room and was starting to panic! Ami should have been home by at least 11 PM and it was damn near MIDNIGHT! Josh was about to go bolt out the door when he got a phone call from one of the students in the class about her whereabouts...

"Curtis-sensei this is Seijuro. Everything okay? He asked and Josh was ready to reach through the phone and strangle that kid. Of course everything wasn't okay because he was worried about his sister and he was trying to figure out where she was! Natsumi took the phone from her "brother" and told Joshua that she was safe at their apartment. When Joshua asked what had happened apparently one of the other "Phantoms" named Calaveras attacked but that they kept her from critically wounding Ami. When Josh heard this part of him wanted to thank them and another wanted to track them down and kill them outright. Why were THEY protecting Ami? Joshua got the address of where Seijuro and Natsumi lived and was headed out the door when he got another phone call and this one he took on the fly...

"Get our Princess back my Lord"

[CLICK!]

"MOTHER [BLEEP]ER!" Josh screamed as he ran out the door and headed in the direction of the apartment complex that the two aliens were staying at. When Joshua got there Rei was also there and he really didn't have the time or the patience to get lectured from her and she knew that from the look on his face so she left it alone. As they got to the top floor Josh found the apartment and was ready to kick the door in when Seijuro opened it and politely greeted him.

"Hello Joshua...won't you please come in?" He offered and Joshua accepted as he led Rei in with him. There was no way he was walking into this nest alone especially with his sister there. "Alright Seijuro" Joshua started "I want to know what you've done to my sister and what hoop you are gonna make me jump to get her back!" Joshua spat and Natsumi was shocked at the tone their teacher was using. They both knew they hadn't done anything to Ami and they weren't gonna hurt her but Joshua was one of those that if you screwed with family you had problems in your immediate future.

"Josh" Seijuro started "Your sister is resting in the guest room we have. One of the phantoms came and attacked her before she could do anything and had we not been there she was going to get critically wounded if not killed!" He explained and when Rei asked why she didn't call either Josh or herself Natsumi explained that it was too sudden...heck they didn't have time to change to their true forms before she was struck. This news hit Joshua hard and they both understood the emotion that was going through him right then: Pure, unadulterated, RAGE!

Josh told the two that he would like to take Ami home with him. It wasn't that he didn't trust them it was just a matter of that was his sister and she meant a lot to him but then again so did Rei-chan but he wasn't going to tell them that! Natsumi nodded in reply and told Seijuro to wake Ami up to go with her brother. He complied and when Ami came out Josh ran to her side quickly and helped her to the door. Rei smiled when she saw this because this was a kind of love she never had with her father. She wanted to know what it was like to BE loved and although she felt that way about Joshua she didn't want to show it ,or more to the point, KNOW how to show it properly towards him!

When Joshua got home with Ami he told her to get ready for bed and that she wasn't going to school the next day. She was too beat up from the attack to go and even if she did there would be too many people asking what happened to her for her to focus. She agreed with her brother's orders and just rested for most of the day. The only times she got up was to pee or to get a book off her shelf to read and even that was a chore! As she would tell Joshua later every time she got up the room moved like a disco ball and she had to stop for a minute before she could move again. When Josh did get home from work for the day he gave her the homework for the night but of course ,Ami being Ami, she was far enough ahead just in case something like this happened! Joshua just smiled and finally remembered to leave the item that someone made for her on her desk before he headed to his room.

That night while Joshua was doing some reading a clear stone magically appeared on his desk and when Joshua touched it the image of a man in a General's uniform showed itself to him for the first time! "Are you? No you can't be...he died so many years ago that you couldn't POSSIBLY be resurrected!" Joshua yelled and the man just smiled and didn't say anything. This annoyed Joshua greatly but knowing that his sister was resting in the room down the hall he wasn't about to start screaming at the hologram. "I'll ask this one time: Who...are you?" Joshua asked and the gentleman smiled before finally speaking

"Why Joshua" The figure started "I'm surprised you don't remember me. We used to be best friends many years ago." It explained and Joshua could only think of one person that it COULD be "Zoisite? How...is this a joke?" He asked and Zoisite just shook his head. He explained to Joshua that his spirit was attached to the stone and that only he could see, hear or even talk to him. When Joshua asked why he explained it was because of the friendship they had in Mercury's court. It was a known fact in the Moon Kingdom that Princess Mercury had a very...eccentric Commander in Zoisite and that Joshua ,then known soley as Warrior Cloud, was the CO for Zoisite's Army as well as one of the biggest fans of his music. When Zoi was brainwashed by Beryl Cloud made him suffer in the battle for the fate of the kingdom and promised that if the day came that those two would ever see each other again that he(Zoisite) was going to have to do A LOT to get back in his good graces!

As Joshua headed for bed Zoisite made a promise to his friend. He WOULD get back in his good graces and help protect Mercury again! The problem was that he needed to get his body back which apparently was stuck on the UFO of the Black Moon. Joshua promised to get it back for him so that hopefully someday he could play one of his beautiful pieces for the Princess again.

The next day Ami went back to school to resume her studies and it was interesting to see how many kids were legitimately concerned about her health and during lunch was interesting to see Usagi and Naru eating lunch with her up on the roof! Joshua noticed this and smiled as the "social circle" of Ami Mizuno seemed to be getting bigger and for that he was grateful. It was a slow process but even one new friend is better than none right?

After school Ami went to her cram school and Joshua went to the shrine to go help Rei with some of the chores she had. This was becoming a common occurrence and the priestess was happy to have people come visit her every so often. Usagi was a good friend to her but Curtis-Sempai as she called him was different. He always tried to help her with her chores when he stopped in and even observed the way she went about her fire readings and was completely mesmerized by it. The problem was that she would get ridiculed about it from the other students of her school and this was no more evident than the day that he had to sub for her class. She got picked on, teased, lambasted, whatever you wanted to name she got at times but the day he was there they straightened up. Two students at lunch thought they were going to start their BS with her and he sent them to the Principal without a warning! He wasn't going to allow ANYONE to bully a student for being "different" in some manner. How they got away with it when the regular teacher was there astounded him and made a notice of this to send to the head of the school before he left for the day.

When Joshua left the T*A School he was followed closely by Rei and when they left the Sisters thanked him for subbing. He told them it was no big deal and that if they needed him for anything else in the future to give a ring. He proceeded to give his cell number to the teachers as he left the premises and still not aware that Rei was behind him...or was he?

"Can I help you with something my dear?" Joshua asked Rei just hugged him in reply. Josh looked around before gently embracing the young lady as they made their way back to the Shrine. When they got there Ami was there along with Luna and Josh wasn't in the mood to explain the situation. Ami understood and waited patiently as Josh escorted Rei to her bedroom and talked to her in that gentle tone that he reserved only for the special people in his life.

"Its okay Rei-chan. You're home now and no one's going to pick on you anymore. If anyone messes with you I'll deal with them for you...alright?" He asked in as gentle but firm tone as possible and Rei nodded before hugging Joshua again and just letting all the pain that was in her body out as she hugged him. Josh knew that this had to have been going on for a long time to get this reaction and just hugged her and gave her a small kiss on the cheek before pulling away and telling her that it was going to be all right. When Joshua got up off his knees he just held her hand for a minute before politely excusing himself and walking out the door.

As Joshua walked out of the shrine Luna didn't ask what happened cos she kind of had an idea as they walked back home. When they got back to the Mizunos Luna hopped down from Ami's arms and started the walk home at which point Ami HAD to ask about earlier. "Is Rei okay bro?" She asked matter of factly and Josh just walked into the house without answering. That was enough of an answer for the girl genius as she made her way to her room and Josh his. There he got a visit from Zoisite as he plopped down on his bed.

"What's wrong Joshua?" Zoisite asked and even though Joshua didn't WANT to answer he felt it was necessary to actually get it off his chest. "Tell me something Zoi" Josh began "When you were a member of the Moon Kingdom and also one of Mercury's advisers were you ever ridiculed or maliciously assaulted by anyone?" he asked and Zoisite had to pause for a good bit to think about this before finally giving an answer. "No Josh I can honestly say that never happened to me. You and Mercury were my best friends sure but no one ever went after me for any stupid reason. Did something happen to Mercury?" Zoi asked worriedly and Joshua just shook his head no which got the former general wondering whom it could be.

"Rei-chan has been having issues at her school recently and I had to sub there today. There's a lot of girls there that don't like her because she has these spiritual powers and have continued to harass her despite the fact that she was cleared of any wrong doing from a previous episode." Joshua explained and at first Zoisite was going to ask what attracted him to Mars but then he remembered something that not even Josh remembered!

"So" He began "You started remembering your past relationship with the Princess of Mars have you?" The eccentric general asked and Josh looked at Zoisite like he had three heads! "You want to explain yourself to me Zoi?" Joshua asked but the general would do no such thing...at least not until the time was right! Zoisite faded out and Joshua was left trying to understand what he meant about the relationship that he had with Mars. Did he really have one with her? If so then what caused it to spark in the first place? Ah more lovely questions to go over in due time!

Next morning Joshua awoke to finding a present on his his dresser and found a new watch and a pair of glasses. This was interesting in and of itself cos he just got a new pair of glasses a few days ago and his wristwatch worked just fine! He put the new watch on his other arm but left the glasses on his desk. The chances were good that he wasn't going to need them...right?

That day at school Joshua got a notice that a new student was going to be coming into the school but just not in his class. Interestingly enough he wasn't given the name of the student because THEY didn't even know it! This peaked Joshua's interest but left it alone as the day went on. When the day ended he got a phone call from Rei that she felt the presence of a youma at a train station not that far from the school. Josh immediately got texting the rest of the girls and then bolted out of the door and made his way to the station and this time it was the youngest Phantom at the plate named Coan!

"You guys just don't learn...DO YA?" Joshua screamed at the youngest Phantom whom just laughed before sending her "dark fire" attack in his direction which he NARROWLY missed getting struck by! It wouldn't have been so bad if it was just her in the station but when she sent one of her droids out to attack Josh did all he could to avoid getting into an unfavorable matchup until help got there.

You ask and you shall receive!

Mars, Mercury and Jupiter showed up while Josh was playing chicken with the droid and Mars was looking for Cloud's assistance...and she got it!

"CLOUD POWER!"

A few minutes later and Cloud appeared behind Coan and the droid as did Sailor Moon! Coan ran like scolded kid leaving the droid to take a beating and oh did Cloud enjoy this one!

"SPARKLING WIDE..."

"BURNING..."

"SHINE AQUA..."

"MOON TWLIGHT..."

"COMET..."

"...PRESSURE!"

"...MANDALA!"

"...ILLUSION!"

"...FLASH!"

"...CRASH!"

Let's just say that the carnage from all the attacks hitting the droid at once was something that only an earthquake could rival! Cloud had to stop himself at the last second to avoid hitting Mars accidentally with the attack cos that's the LAST person he wanted to hit! As Cloud looked at the wreckage from the combined force Mars put her arms around his waist. She wasn't sure why but she knew that something inside her was changing and possibly for the better...

NEXT TIME...

Joshua: Wait sis Rei wants you to perform in a talent show?

Ami: Correct bro!

Joshua: What's she want you to do?

Ami: Believe it or not...SING!

Joshua: What'd you tell her?

Ami: I would if my brother did it with me!

Joshua: Oh dear!

Ami: :)


	6. Festival Time

Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon R

Act 6

Four days had passed since the latest escapade with the Dark Moon Clan and all of the senshi were plenty happy for that. Rei had been doing her best to get through her school days, Ami was learning what it was like to have more friends outside of Usagi, Makoto was cooking up a storm in her apartment(some of which Joshua sampled one day) and Minako had announced that she was going to be holding a special benefit concert in a few weeks time! The benefit concert was going to be an awesome deal because it was for the local hospital that Saeko happened to work at. What's more Ami had been asked by Rei to help out with some of the decorating at T*A for a festival that was going to be a week earlier...life was busy but good!

"So Ami-chan" Rei started "have you thought about doing anything special for the festival?" The priestess asked the girl wonder and Ami just froze into place. Ami had no real..."talent" that she could truly attest to or at least that she knew of so what COULD she do if she was pressed to? "I...I don't know Hino-san. I'm not like you or Makoto as I don't have any special skills that I could do for the show so..." Ami was cut off by the presence of her brother and Natsumi and Joshua was the first to speak. "I heard that you were a pretty good singer at Usagi-chan's pajama party a few months back...couldn't you do that?" Josh asked as innocently as possible and Ami's face went blood red! Did Usagi REALLY tell Joshua about that?

"Leave her be Joshua if she doesn't want to do that then we've no right to force her...besides what's this we hear about you having a hidden talent as a musician?" Natsumi asked and Joshua just grinned before speaking. "When I lived in the states I was known occasionally to play certain instruments fairly well. I never participated in a band or anything like that but I do enjoy music a lot. I wish I could tell you who I got my aptitude for music from but I guess it was just one of those things ya know?" Josh stated and the girls all nodded as they got back to setting up for the festival that was to be in two weeks. As night fell Joshua and Rei sat on the stage and just looked up into the night sky together. Josh looked out of the corner of his eye and saw the girl that he genuinely cared about smiling for one of the few times in the time that he knew her and just went back to stargazing. It was nights like this that he wished never ended but it had to mainly because he'd end up with a stiff neck if it didn't!

As Ami and Joshua said their goodbyes to the gang at the school the younger Mizuno looked over at her brother with "that look". You know the one right? The "she's on your mind isn't she?" kind of look and Josh knew not to lie to his sibling. "Rei is a great girl Ami and we both know this. I may be a teacher but I also know that there is a special bond she has with me that has lasted a long time. Why me I don't know but if something happened to either you or her...hell the rest of our team I'd be in a serious kind of rage that no one wants to see." Joshua explained to Ami and she left it alone the rest of the way home. There were things she wanted to ask her brother but she also knew that when the time was right he'd tell her.

_The very next day at the CROWN..._

Joshua had gotten out of school before everyone else because he received a message from Luna on his phone...problem was Josh detected something "odd" about the voice on the other end. It wasn't the usual voice she used when communicating with him in person before so the question remained: What the hell was going on?

This question would be answered right after Joshua showed his pass to Motoki and headed into the HQ and noticed what looked to be a girl with blue hair wearing a purple t-shirt and a yellow skirt with white boots. Who in the God's name was this? "Um excuse me Miss but...have we met before?" Joshua asked with that "WTF" kind of look and when the girl spun around in her chair and spoke Josh damn near had a stroke!

"Why Joshua I'm surprised you don't recognize me" The young girl started "I'm Luna ,Usagi's guardian and your friend...remember?" She asked and Josh slapped himself a few times across the face to make sure he wasn't seeing things! Sadly...he wasn't! "No no you can't be Luna because you see Luna walks on four legs and has a crescent spot on her forehead! You..." Joshua stopped as he looked at the design on the t-shirt and then let out on of his standard expletives when he sees something that catches his eye. "Sit down" Luna stated and as Josh did she told him the whole story about what happened before he came back to Japan

A few hours later and Joshua thought he was going to need a stiff drink...problem was he didn't drink so he was stuck with Coke which did the desired effect before he spoke again. "So you can assume both a human and your 'standard' form?" Joshua asked and when he asked how she turns back she explained the rules for that to him. He accepted the explanation and then decided to drop a bomb on her! "Are you familiar with a General named Zoisite?" Joshua asked Luna and when she nodded an affirmative he continued "Somehow in my room at Ami's I got a stone recently that has a spirit stuck in it. The spirit is that of Zoisite and he wants me to get his body back for him. Problem is according to Zoisite its stuck in the UFO of the Black Moon Clan and right now we aren't strong enough to get in there yet!" Joshua explained and this gave Luna pause before speaking again.

"Ah yes your best friend from the days of the Moon Kingdom and Ami's adviser. I remember the days when you were absolutely bored at some of the gatherings Serenity had and went off to listen to Zoisite play. You told me one day that you aspired to be a musician as good as he and would sneak off to practice playing the drums and the guitar. Mercury and Mars would always stop whatever they were doing to listen to you and Zoisite play and if Zoisite hadn't been brainwashed by Beryl..." Luna trailed off and Josh knew exactly where she was going with it

"If he hadn't been brainwashed I wouldn't have had to help fight him when the big fight happened." Joshua finished as Luna looked down at the table while he continued "I want Zoisite back in the fold with us. Yes he was a bit antagonizing to me and Mercury at times but he was never mean-spirited with it. At times I remember he was VERY protective of Mercury and when he had to kill her I know it ripped at him. He's told me that in our discussions we have now." Josh explained and Luna was glad to hear that Joshua and "The eccentric one" were back on good terms.

As the two continued chatting Usagi ,Ami and Rei came into the HQ and were all greeted warmly by the duo that was present at the table. When the subject came up about the Black Moon Clan and the two aliens Ail and En Joshua had to ask the question crawling in the back of his mind...

"What's the story with them?"

This was Ami's department..

"From what I know ,and that's not much considering what happened prior to meeting them, the Black Moon found those two and started trying to attack them. They fled their planet and crashed here where the BMC found them and won't let them leave unless its in bodybags!" Ami exclaimed and then it was Rei's turn to speak up. "Is this why they were helping you Ami? Because we have the same enemy in the Black Moon?" She asked and Ami nodded.

"What I wanna know" Joshua started "is what is the mission of the Black Moon? Why are they terrorizing innocents and is this the foundation for something BIGGER in the long run? If so then we have to figure out how to be one step ahead of them and stop the threat before any civilians ,Ail ,En, or any of us get banged up bad! These people want to decimate this planet and I don't want to see that happen...do you?" Joshua asked and all the girls agreed with their Warrior as they broke for the night. All the way home Ami tried to get out of Joshua the way he REALLY felt about Rei but he was tight lipped about it and wouldn't say anything to her...Zoi on the other hand...

"Good evening Joshua" Zoisite in his greeting as Joshua got ready for bed. "Well good evening to you Zoisite. Boy things are getting interesting with the way things work in the Senshi. I got feelings for Mars that I can't explain ,Mercury as we know got attacked and helped out by the alien duo that is being chased by the Black Moon and I met my VERY FIRST 'cat-person'! Only way it will get better is when I can get you to your body and then we can hopefully talk like normal folk around here." Josh explained and did so in such a manner that it got his silver-haired friend cracking up.

"Sorry about that Josh but your brand of humor still amuses me." He told Joshua and that got his friend to bow in his presence before Zoi continued "Would you like me to do my best to explain why Rei started to fall for you?" He asked and Josh had to think on this one. Did he really want to know what is going on with Rei or would he rather be surprised?

"Sorry friend" Joshua started "I'm beat and I'm going to hit the sack. If you want and if I get home in time tomorrow you can tell me your theory cos I'd love to hear it." Josh told his friend as he turned out the lights and wished his friend a good night

_Early that morning..._

Is it normal for Joshua to get up disgustingly early? Well he's usually up by 5-6 in morning so no. Today he decided to get up at 4 in the morning and actually brought the stone with him to show Zoisite the stage for the talent show. This was Zoisite's first time out of the residence and he was amazed by all the decoration that had gone on with the festivities. It made him wish he was of flesh and bone and not tied to that rock to be able to actively participate in it! After he showed him around the place for a bit they headed to Juuban where he told Zoisite to not say ANYTHING until they got back home...and he complied!

Oh the day was a normal day of school. Ami aced a quiz he gave out ,Usagi flunked(and had to clean as punishment) and Mako was middle of the road. The only eventful thing was during the lunch break Rei showed up at the school and asked Ami if she "Asked him to do it yet?" and when Joshua saw this he had to find out what the big secret was and when Ami explained that Rei wanted him to perform at her show he went GHOST...WHITE!

"Um...well..." Joshua started to stammer and the rest of the class started to try and urge on the teacher and it worked...kind of! "Ami are you sure you want me to do this?" Joshua asked and Ami told him that he didn't have to if he didn't want to...then he saw Rei's almost pleading expression and he buckled for sure! "Alright...I'll do it for you Rei-chan!" Joshua announced and everyone cheered but he wasn't done yet "I'll do it...if my sister agrees to sing at the concert and before you say no Ami you won't be the only one performing cos I'll be doing it as well." Joshua added and Ami at first had a bit of a rage built in her but then agreed to do it for the festival.

Ah the joys of having a sibling in the class you teach...

Two days later and Ami and Josh took the stage as the "warm up" for the main show. The brother and sister duo did the song Kirari* Sailor Dream to what was a standing ovation as Ami's voice was ,as one onlooker put it, "That of an angel"! As Joshua introduced Rei to the crowd they headed off the stage and were just about to go mingle with some of their friends when something that appeared to be a road agent or manager stopped the duo in their tracks.

"Have you two ever considered taking your act on the road?" Was the first thing out of the quack's mouth. Joshua tried to politely excuse himself as did Ami but the man continued to block them. "I'm sorry I should have introduced myself before making that statement. My name is..." He started but was cut off by Joshua before he could complete a formal introduction.

"Look!" Joshua started "I know WHO you are and I have an idea WHY you are here. Ami and I did this tonight for a friend that asked for our help. I wasn't going to turn HER down because the act she was going to have bailed on her alright? What I'd like you to do is get out of my sight because I don't deal with people like YOU whom really don't give a damn about their clients...now get out of my sight!" Joshua exclaimed and ,even though he wasn't "present" Zoisite smiled because that was the kind of backbone his friend had. It got more interesting as the night went on however...

Why? Well over the course of the night while the two were actually signing autographs for people the man in question sent a runner to Ami to give HER the message that he was going to give Joshua. When she read it she showed it to Joshua whom was still just irked as shit at the manager but read it anyways.

"I see...so the idol Aino Minako wants us to perform a song for her concert in a few weeks from now?" Joshua read aloud and then stopped signing long enough to have a good think about what was being asked of him and his sister. It WAS for a good cause and that's typically what he does performances for so...

"Let me go talk to the guy again" Josh told Ami as he made his way back through the mess of people and after having some words with the guy it was decided that they WOULD do the concert but that afterwords they wouldn't deal with the guy again. This actually made Ami happier but the only thing that absolutely sucked was now they had to figure out a song to do for the show!

After the people went home Joshua and company were busy cleaning up the mess and everyone was actually enjoying each others company. Rei and Usagi conversed without getting into a throwdown, Mako-chan was conversing with some of the girls from Rei's school about how she's gotten a lot nicer lately and wondered if it had anything to do with the gentlemen she was seeing and Ami stayed with her brother and didn't socialize too much with the girls on the cleanup from Rei's school. Josh didn't say anything about it because he knew how hard it was for Ami to talk to the other soldiers so talking to complete strangers all over again could be difficult.

On the way home of course you KNOW there had to be another attack and Usagi and the girls did the work on their own this time while Joshua and the two aliens observed from a distance. En kept an eye on the girls and decided that when the droid that was being controlled by Calaveras was getting an upper hand to lend a hand to the girls and this good deed didn't go unnoticed by Rei as she looked behind her and gave a wink to their ally before Moon finished the monster off with the "Moon Twilight Flash". As Joshua reappeared from around the corner a caped gentleman showed himself and was standing next to Sailor Moon and when Joshua met the individual he introduced himself as Tuxedo Kamen. Joshua firmly shook his hand but didn't let his gaze off of the masked man as he backed away and then proceeded to walk back home. Luna saw this and gave a reassuring nod to Usagi as did Ami.

Everything was going to be all right...RIGHT?

End of Act 6

I wanted to forgo the normal "NEXT TIME" segment I have done at the end of each act so far to take this time to thank each and every person that has taken the time to read this story ,favor it, put it on alert or even review it! This is my first real attempt at writing a fan fiction in a good long time and its something I love doing. I've always loved writing since I was in grade school and now that I have that opportunity to do it here to those of you that have read every chapter so far I thank you kindly and to anyone that hasn't read it yet I understand completely.

The next couple of chapters are going to be LONG ones! Like at least 6-8 pages long and we'll be setting up soon for a very emotional sub arc of this story soon. I won't tell you what it involves but its going to be starting within the next couple of Acts so stick around cos this is gonna be a fun time I promise you!

Have a good one friends

Joshua


	7. The new battle begins

Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon R

Act 7

_Hikawa Shrine_

It was three days removed from the festival and also the attack by Calaveras of the Four Phantoms and all was quiet. So quiet that at the shrine Rei didn't have any visitors save the usual person to offer a prayer at the temple and then leave not long after. It was one of those days when Rei remembered what it was like to be alone again...a feeling that she knew all too well!

As Rei got ready to go to the CROWN a familiar person snuck up behind her and covered her eyes. This shocked Rei at first but tit didn't take long for her to get her wits about her and realize whom was behind her. "Well good afternoon Curtis-kun!" Rei said as she turned around and smiled at the young man that had captured her heart. "Hello Rei-chan" Joshua said as he looked around at how deserted the place was which was unusual for a day like this. He had hoped that more people would eventually come to this place but he was getting the feeling that was going to take longer than he thought.

"I know what you're thinking Joshua and yes I'm surprised at how quiet things have gotten around here." Rei explained before shrugging it off and continuing "The only friends I have are you and the rest of the Senshi and that's fine with me to be honest. There are girls at my school that I talk to but none that I really...'hang out' with because I think they still believe I'm cursed and whatnot." Rei finished and Josh stood there and thought about the possibility of that still being the case and he would have been lying if he said it didn't anger him. Joshua knew Rei had a good heart and was someone that ,if people got to know her, would actually find a very kind and understanding young lady. THAT however was the problem...no one wanted to try it seemed!

"Anyways..." Joshua said as he snapped out of his deep thought "you going to the CROWN to see the girls? I think I heard during class today that everyone is going to be there today so its going to be a full house." He warned Rei and she nodded before finishing up sweeping and walked out off the temple grounds with one of the few people in the world that she didn't just call her boyfriend but her BEST friend!

_CROWN Karaoke_

4:00 PM

"So what do we ABSOLUTELY know right now about the Black Moon Clan?" Joshua asked the group that was situated around the table as he was flanked by Rei on his right and Luna on his left. "So far all we know is that they've been going after innocents one by one but other than that...not a lot" Luna explained and this caused Josh to put his hands in front of his face before speaking again. "In other words: Jack Squat right? This figures because right NOW they seem to just be content with attacking civilians when they least expect but I have that gut feeling that its going to be something bigger soon. I don't know what but I have a feeling something...or someONE is going to show up soon!" Joshua told everyone and they were taken aback by this revelation. What could he know or be hinting at exactly?

"Let's be hypothetical and say its a 'someone' brother...who could it be?" Ami asked and Joshua just threw his hands up as if to tell his sister and everyone "Beats me" but when he went to the temple the day prior he had gotten an image of someone and some time that seemed vaguely familiar. His only problem was he didn't know exactly what it was or who it was to go running his mouth to them. "If there is someone else Joshua then we better be prepared one way or the other. The chances that this could be an ally at this point aren't THAT great!" Luna exclaimed and Josh nodded. This was going to require him to spend more time at the temple with Rei to try and crack that mystery but right now they were going to have to get ready for the next battle...whenever that was!

"From what I have gathered along with Curtis-san here these people are going to start a plan in motion soon to attack certain points of this city" Rei explained and when she knew she had the girls attention she continued "There are six points in this city that are rumored to be linked with another time. What we don't know YET is where they are and what the significance of these places are. All we know is there are 6 and when they destroyed then stuffs gonna get REAL bad soon!" Rei explained and when they looked to Josh for confirmation all he could do was nod.

"The rules of this game are about to change and not for the better." Joshua told everyone as they looked to him for an explanation "Ail and En were chased here by the Black Moon and they aren't allowed to leave because if they try right now they're as good as dead! The places that Rei talked about are linked to something and simply put when the time comes we have to be on our game to protect them." Josh explained grimly and the girls all nodded in agreement. Twenty minutes later and the meeting disbanded with everyone going to their respective homes and Joshua trying to think about what in the hell those images were!

The next day at school was a dreadfully slow day and it was raining out so the kids couldn't go out either. This meant that if Ami wanted to be alone that wasn't gonna happen but at the same time it worked out because she helped Naru with some of the schoolwork she was having trouble with. Joshua closed his eyes at his desk and practiced his "auto-drawing" and found that he was drawing the images of the city in his vision! When he looked down it was almost like an overhead map with the six places circled off. What was causing him to do this?

The sad bit about it was that he wasn't going to get to find out because when school ended for the day and everyone went home he had to go to the studio where Minako recorded to at least ATTEMPT to work on the song that he and his sister would perform for the benefit concert. The good news for him was the room that he was getting was just going to be for him and Ami and no one else but the bad was there were times when coming up with the lyrics for the music was going to be a pain in the ass! What could he do to sort out his lyrical problem and whom could help him if he needed it?

[RING RING]

"Just a minute!" Rei called out as she walked out of the kitchen to the phone and picked it up with an unusually pleasant tone in her voice. Did Joshua REALLY have that kind of effect on her? "Why hello Curtis-sensei! What can I do for you?" The priestess asked and when Joshua explained his situation she scratched her chin a bit before answering. "Hmm that IS an interesting problem and its one that I had a time or two I must admit. Have you thought about reflecting on something that happened in your life or maybe something related to you and Ami? I found that when I was stuck for lyrics that helped sometimes." Rei explained and just by hearing that Josh was not only able to write the lyrics but rework the music! Initially he was going for some "harder edge" song as he explained to Rei but hearing her advice made him rethink his approach...he always fancied himself a "ballad" man anyways!

After the phone call with Rei Josh immediately got back onto the task of writing a song for Ami and himself to perform but this time he went acoustic. He hummed the music as he started writing the lyrics and then played the guitar while humming it to make SURE that he got it right! What's more was it was so different than what Minako had ever heard that as she was walking down the hallway she heard the music coming from the room and peeked in on Joshua while he sang the song. It sounded so beautiful that she just caught herself transfixed while the teacher of class 1-1 in Juuban High played and wondered if there was anything else that he knew how to do that they didn't know about!

When the song ended Minako entered the studio and applauded Joshua for writing the song. She liked the song so much that she almost asked him to perform it solo but stopped herself as he knew the only way he was doing the concert was with his sister. She complimented him on the song and how well a singer he was to which he kind of blushed before responding.

"I think I had a good teacher in a previous life my dear...don't quote me on that though!" Josh explained and Minako had an idea with to whom he was referring but left it alone before speaking. I take it when you wanted to find a place to practice on your own in the states you practiced in private didn't you?" She asked and Josh just shook his head. He didn't know what caused him to be good at playing different instruments(although he could hazard a guess it had to do with Zoisite) and just decided to focus on Minako. "You look forward to these concerts don't you my dear? I can't blame you because you are a national icon and in some ways almost GLOBAL! I remember teaching a class one day in a high school back home and there were kids mentioning about you possibly doing a concert overseas but it sadly never happened. Its a shame too because when someone gave me one of your CDs to listen to I thought it was really...REALLY good and you should be commended for that." Joshua told the Idol and she just blushed at the compliments he was giving her. This was actually quite unusual for a someone to heap THAT much praise on her!

"I thank you kindly Joshua but really its the fans that make the artist because if the fans don't like your music then what good is it right?" Minako asked and Josh just nodded...Josh also knew about a former rivalry that she had with his girlfriend but didn't know what it was over and didn't want to know either! "Anyways" Joshua started "I usually think of a name for the songs I write as I write them but this one came so suddenly that I don't know what to call it yet! I've got ideas but Ami and I might literally be on stage when I think of a title for the piece. I think that's the one difference between me and my friend Zoisite. He can write a piece of music on the piano and then come up with a name in like two seconds. I...gotta think about it until the last possible second!" Josh explained to his new friend and she just smiled because she knew that when the time came he'd think of something.

When Josh got home no one was there. Ami was at cram school and Saeko had the night shift so he went to his room ,got out his acoustic guitar and started playing the song he wrote a few hours earlier in the studio at the record label. This got Zoisite's attention whom just listened with great attention as his friend showed his mastery in a lyrical sense and a vocal sense and was blown away but what he heard! He hadn't heard anything that powerful since when he was trying to track down the Moon Princess for Queen Beryl!

"It seems like the lessons you got from me and Kunzite paid off my Lord." Zoisite said in his greeting for the night and Josh just waved that off as he put the guitar down. "Nah man I think it was just one of those 'Let's see what happens when you throw something against a wall" kind of things. I DID call Rei though when I was stuck and something did click so maybe that helped." Josh told his friend and Zoisite smiled a very knowing smile that told Joshua he knew something and apparently it had to do with the Moon Kingdom.

"Well in your former life Princess Mars was someone that you talked to a lot and not just about Royal Business either. I remember a night when you and Mars would go off you'd play your guitar and she'd try and make lyrics on the fly to the music. Kunzite and I called you two 'A musical magic spell'. Your sister though was no slouch either if I remember correctly!" Zoi told his friend and Josh was amazed at this revelation...shocked to be honest!

"Now this is interesting my friend. You know how demure and shy Ami is now? Its hard to get her to want to eat lunch with her friends and about the only time she socializes is when its just the girls at the HQ!" Josh exclaimed and Zoi conceded the point to his friend while also trying to think of a name for the song he heard Josh playing. There was dead silence for like 5 minutes before he snapped his fingers and then whispered to Joshua the name for the song and he smiled when he heard it! The concert was gonna be a fun time!

Days later Joshua and Ami went to the concert hall where the show was to take place and suffice to say they both were left speechless! For Ami this wasn't unusual but Joshua was truly awestruck at the facility. What's more when Joshua found out that there was going to be about 65-70,000 people in the building he had to check to make sure he didn't soil himself before the show and that he had a clean pair just in case. It was truly going to be a special show for him and his sister.

Night came and as everyone packed in Joshua looked out through the curtain and saw that Rei ,Usagi ,Makoto and Ikuko were sitting front row for the show. Josh didn't get stage fright easily but this was one performance that he didn't want to mess up especially in front of his friends and his "third mother" in Ikuko. As the time came for them to go out from behind the curtain Joshua stood tall and strong at the microphone and sat down on the stool that was provided by the stagehand. He nodded to the gentleman and then turned and faced the crowd to speak in public for the first time in his life!

"Ladies and Gentleman" He began "I would like to thank each and every one of you whom came out tonight for the benefit concert. My name is Joshua Curtis and as I'm sure some of you out in the audience know the young lady seated to my left is my sister Ami Mizuno. A few days ago we were asked after doing a performance for my girlfriend ,Rei Hino, at her concert..."

[CROWD APPLAUDS]

"I see Ms. Hino has quite the fan base! I'm happy to hear that and hope you will support her as well as Minako in the future. Anyways when we performed at her concert we got approached to do a song for you all here...tonight. At first I hadn't an idea for the song and then I figured that out lyrically. Then I needed to figure out the title for the song and through some inspiration of a few friends of mine...I got one! With all that being said my sister and I will be performing a song called 'Yakusoku' or translated 'Promise'!" And with that Joshua picked up the guitar and started playing the chords and Ami sang the song as if she had heard it somewhere before. The crowd was on their feet for the whole song and when the two left the stage after taking their bows Josh was genuinely shocked at what went down!

"Well...that was a hell of a reaction sis!" Josh exclaimed and Ami just nodded as they got to their respective dressing rooms and got changed to go home for the night. As they did Luna called Joshua on his cell phone and Josh answered in his usual smartass tone. "Nuthouse. Whom can we lock up for ya?" Josh asked with a wink and that got a chuckle on the other end of the phone from Luna.

"Usagi if at all possible but seriously speaking Josh I need you to get the girls over to the park ASAP!" Luna told Joshua and he did as told. He was able to assemble Usagi ,Rei ,Maokoto and of course Ami with no problem but he knew he couldn't get Minako till after the concert but still even with 4 Senshi they SHOULD be able to take down whatever was at the park...right?

This answer came when during the battle at the park Coan sent out a droid that was going to seriously test the mettle of the girls and did it ever! By the time the fight was over all of the senshi were beaten ,battered and one or two had brusies that thankfully could be covered up from the battle. Cloud was HOT after the fight and let Coan know it!

"Listen here you little [BLEEP]! We know what you are up to and what you are going to try and do. If you think that we'll let you get away with it you have another thing coming!" Cloud screamed and that just made Coan's lips turn up into a VERY unpleasant smile. "Such big words for one of the Neo-Queen's grunts. Do you think your words scare me little boy? If you do then you're more delusional than we gave you credit for." Coan stated before vanishing while Cloud held his right hand from the pain it was in due to an attack he dodged earlier in the fight and he landed HARD on it! Mars and Mercury both noticed the pain the "Heavenly Warrior" was in and rushed to his side to make sure he was all right.

"I'm fine girls...really I am. Tonight was just the beginning my friends. Soon...soon it starts!" Cloud told them as everyone turned and walked off leaving the jewel of the slain droid behind in the wake of the battle

NEXT TIME...

Joshua: Hey Usagi did you hear? A new ice cream shop opened in town.

Usagi: Really? I wonder if Mamoru will take me to the shop someday

?: Excuse me but...have you seen my mom?

Usagi/Joshua: HUH?


	8. Who's that Girl?

NOTE: Its been a good while hasn't it since I ended the 7th Act of this fic hasn't it? Well I'm back in the saddle for at least 3 more Acts and I just got one thing to tell ya:

Hold on tight kids!

Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon R

Act 8

The aftermath of the battle at the train station had reverberated for a few days and it was the topic of the day at Juuban and even T*A Girls School. It wasn't that it was a particularly brutal fight(although the participants would beg to differ) but it was the sheer fact that the all parties that were involved had a hard time shaking it. Rei and Ami were both hit particularly hard because of the fact that Joshua ,Ami's brother and Rei's boyfriend, had been injured in the fight regardless of the fact that he denied being in any kind of pain. The prescription of Vicodin that sat on his desk would prove otherwise but thankfully he didn't have a history of being addicted to any pain meds!

"Alright class" Joshua said as he got up from his desk and made his way to the podium at the front of the class "Today I think we're going to cover an interesting subject and its one that I know we haven't covered yet: Family in relation to academic performance." He announced to the class and this got a lot of interesting looks from the students including Ami ,Makoto and Usagi. Either Josh was fixing to lose his mind or maybe he was going to hit something that a lot of people don't think about. No time like the present to find out right?

"First off before I get started I want to make this perfectly clear: Just because someone has a different living situation than someone else it does NOT mean that person is the biggest whiz kid in a school or that they are an idiot. What I'm trying to get across here is that we all have different situations and maybe...just maybe we need to think about how it all works." He explained and everyone sat at attention as he began his lecture.

"First let's look at a family that maybe has a carefree way about it. Its not that the mother and father aren't interested in how their child/children do but they know that being too harsh on the child for passing or failing may lead to a backlash and a potential revolt. Now the kid may be "average" as far as their grades ,they could be a routine flunkie or they could just be a really smart kid. The parents will still take interest in how the child does but won't think the sky is falling if they bring home a bad mark from school once in a while. When they routinely bring home bad grades then...they start panicking.

The second family is one that is the 'uber strict' type! You know this kind of family when you see it because this is the one that when a kid brings home a bad grade after being a perennial 'A+' student they go 'OH MY GOD! MY SON/DAUGHTER IS AN [BLEEP]ING IDIOT!' and then you wonder if they need help. Sometimes this kind of parenting can push the child away from them and make it so that when they go to school its nearly impossible for them to make friends because of how hard they were pushed. When I taught in the States I had kids like this in my class and I swear to you the amount of time I had to go to their parents house and be like 'You need to back off on what you expect out of your son/daughter' was maddening because the parents in their minds weren't doing ANYTHING wrong...no according to them I was crazy for suggesting they were hurting their child more than helping. I nearly punched one mother out when she suggested that I wished to have a parent like her and I told her flatly 'No if I had a parent like you I'd have been committed' and that shut her up quick!

Now is there such a thing as a 'Middle of the road' family? One that wants their kids to do well but will back off and let them be? I have met a family that is kind of like that and oddly...they are in this class but for fear of embarrassing the student I won't mention her name. I met her mother once or twice in the time that I've been here and I understand where she comes from and she gets where I come from. Do I wish all parents could be like this woman? Yes and no. Yes because it means the sky isn't going to fall if you bring home a bad grade but no because sometimes these parents don't know what they expect out of the student or the teacher. This woman did so I give thanks to her for basically existing!" Joshua explained and what was funny was when he got done the lecture not only was it lunchtime but as the girls sat with their usual groups one of the students ,Naru Osaka, walked up to Joshua and thanked him for the lecture. He just smiled and gave her a quick hug before she made her way back to her friends while he made his way to the roof to have lunch with Ami.

Up on the roof Josh sat with his sister and Seijuro and Natsumi were there observing the duo. Joshua hadn't heard much from the alien duo since the night when he basically cursed them a streak and hoped that all was well. He gestured for one of them to come over and join them for lunch and they both came. As they took a seat Josh opened up the conversation.

"Everything good gang? I haven't heard much from you in school these past few weeks and I just wanted to make sure that all was going well in your world." Joshua told his friends and Natsumi just smiled before speaking. "Everything's fine Josh. Seijuro and I were talking about what those 'bad people' were going to plot next. You seem to have a bead on what they got planned...care to enlighten us?" Natsumi asked and Josh had to figure out how to explain it to them without any kind of endangerment possible.

"What I can tell you is that there is a belief that those people are going to go after certain places in this city. The significance of those places could affect things later on for this city." Josh explained and Ami nodded in agreement. Seijuro knew that Joshua wasn't telling EVERYTHING but at the same time he knew he was doing it for their safety and the safety of all civilians on the planet. "Any idea when they'll strike these places?" Seijuro asked and Josh was being honest when he shook his head 'no'. If he did then he would be able to plan accordingly and then MAYBE be able to ask them for assistance...problem was he didn't and couldn't answer the question honestly.

_Later that day..._

Usagi had just finished her homework when Mamoru came to the house to pick her up for their date. Ikuko had told Usagi that she had to finish it and do it RIGHT before she could go and Usagi complied surprisingly! Ikuko wasn't sure if had anything to do with something going on at school or the teacher she had but her daughter was starting to take a real vested interest in her grades.

As day turned into night the couple was at the local movie theater and ,Usagi being Usagi, wasn't really paying that much attention to the movie as she was Mamoru. The bits she did see of the movie were mainly the romantic parts when she almost started blubbering like a baby but managed to hold off with the water works. Of course when Mamoru asked Usagi what she thought of the movie she bluffed and said it was good but Mamoru saw through that and smiled as he hugged his "Odango".

That night when all was still at about 12:30 AM a pink cloud opened up in the sky above the dock and an unidentified girl with pink hair fell from the sky and crashed onto the dock. When she looked around and saw the Black Moon's UFO she ran for the nearest house she could find but due to her fatigue from travel she passed out in an alleyway out of view of any bystanders and more importantly out of view of the UFO!

The following morning Joshua was up early and gave Usagi a ring when he spied an ad in the paper for a new ice cream parlor and asked her if she wanted to go check it out with him. She agreed and when thy got there the line was about 40 minutes long but they didn't care. The only part that DID suck was that it was about 90 and they both had the "brilliant" idea of wearing jeans...SHEESH!

As the two got closer Josh sensed something was amidst. It had nothing to do with the actual parlor but it was as if someone was there that shouldn't be! The question was a simple one: Who?

That answer would come when the two got their ice cream and sat at one of the tables and as Josh turned his head he saw the girl from the night prior sitting right next to him. "Hello sir" The girl started "I was wondering if you could help me. I'm lost and I'm looking for someone." she finished and Josh just looked at her before formulating the thought in his head that he wanted to convey. "Alright...do you know what this person looks like?" Joshua asked the girl and she stiffened when she saw someone walking towards the back of the ice cream parlor but didn't say anything and just pointed. Josh turned his head and didn't see anything but when he turned back the girl disappeared!

"SON OF A..."Josh stopped himself as he didn't want to finish that statement but Usagi knew something had happened. Whom was that girl and whom could she have been looking for? As the two finished their cones Josh escorted Usagi home where ,as fate would have it, the girl that they saw at the parlor was at the house standing there with her parents and Shingo. Josh nudged Usagi to see if any of that made sense and she just shook her head in disagreement. This problem only became more blown up when Luna walked out to see what was going on and tried to get Josh to explain the situation!

"Luna dear I think you're better off coming home with me for a little while." Joshua stated more as an order than anything and when Luna saw Usagi's expression towards the young unnamed girl she quickly ran behind Joshua as they backed away from the fireworks that ,while they hadn't started yet, they were about to! "Mama you don't know this girl do you?" Usagi asked and Ikuko gave her the look of "Don't you recognize her?" before introducing the girl as "Chibi-Usa". Now Josh and Luna REALLY knew to get out of there cos the stuff was about to hit the fan and it wasn't going to be pretty!

While the fireworks were going off at the Tuskino's Josh called Ami to tell her that Luna was going to be staying at their place for a little while. Luna was oddly quite happy about this as she quickly found out that Joshua was quite the cat lover and moreso someone that would stick up for little kids no matter what. Ami didn't mind having Luna around just as long as Luna didn't make a mess and Josh made that explicitly clear to the newest tenant and she complied.

When they got back home Ami was heading off to Alto ,so Josh and Luna had the house to themselves for most of the night and Josh showed Luna his room as well as the stone that he used to communicate with his friend Zoisite. This fascinated Luna because of the fact that he was one of the "Great Four" and when Josh explained the situation his friend was in Luna told him that the Senshi would do all they could to aid him in getting Zoisite's body back. Josh thanked her kindly and then walked out to the kitchen to make some dinner for them which was unusual considering he usually was cooking for one but Luna wasn't picky and at least it gave him someone of flesh and bone to talk to at home too!

That night while the house was silent Josh's cell phone went off and it was Usagi on the other end. "Josh? Josh I can't find Chibi-Usa!" She exclaimed and this worried Josh cos if she was out there AND he had the Black Moon to deal with then this SO wasn't going to be a fun night!" "Luna...Luna dear come on Usagi's having a problem and we gotta go help her." Josh explained as he nudged Luna gently to wake her.

"What's going on Josh?" Luna asked as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. "Chibi-Usa is missing and Usagi went to go look for her. Come on we gotta get going!" Josh exclaimed as he punched up Makoto and Rei on the cell and knocked on his sister's door while he himself got ready to go. "We're on our way" Is what Josh got from Mako and Rei-chan and Ami was already up when he knocked on the door and getting ready. SOMEONE was about to pay for waking him up at...3:35 IN THE MORNING! Jesus couldn't they pick an earlier time to start shit?

As Joshua and Luna raced to where Usagi was the immediate thought came to the parlor as a good place to look for Chibi-Usa. Oddly it also dawned on Joshua to get Minako's cell # from Usagi while they were there BUT ,as fate would have it, she didn't have it!

_What's that expression about life sucking and then you die?_

After everyone got there and transformed Luna decided to split up the team as she would work with Usagi and ,as they found out, Minako while Joshua got Makoto ,Rei and Ami. Great! Joshua got his girlfriend, his sister and the woman that some jokingly referred to as his "adopted sister". This was gonna be fun! The fun wasn't gonna last as Berthier showed herself and her newest droid. It soon dawned on the team that this was the first location that the Black Moon Clan was trying to take over and thus this was a "must win" fight! Now one would THINK 7 vs. 1 would be an easy fight right: WRONG! These weren't easy fights since they started happening ,so what could POSSIBLY make them easy NOW!

The fight started off brutal as damn near everyone got knocked backwards and in Luna's case if she got knocked out...well we know how useful she is then right? Josh knew and found a way to protect her while trying to attack the droid and catch it off guard. Luna thanked Josh for the help and it went on. Venus was the first person to attack with her "Love Me Chain" and that started to get the fight in their advantage as did Mars' "Youma Taizan" attack. The droid got the upper hand later when it scored a direct hit on Mars sending her hard into the concrete! No one knew the severity of the blow she took and wouldn't even after the fight was over which thankfully ended when Tuxedo Kamen came and assisted in the fight. Moon hit her "Twilight Flash" and after a brutal fight in which everyone was favoring something again everyone was just glad to be able to go home! Problem was when Joshua saw the condition of Mars he knew SOMETHING was wrong but she wouldn't admit to it. As she walked home in a practical daze Jupiter was the first to console her comrade.

"Rei's a tough girl Josh. I think its gonna take a lot more than a blow to the head for there to be any lingering problems." Jupiter told Cloud but for the first time he didn't buy what someone was selling. "Somehow Jupiter...I think this is different. We better keep an eye on her because if this IS serious then the Black Moon will be all over her and THAT we can't afford! If they use this to persuade her to come to them...I shudder to think what we might have to do!" Cloud said as he ran in a brisk jog to try and catch up to Mars and luckily for him she collapsed at the Shrine. This was going to be a tough one for him because he's had people have this issue before and its scary what happened to THEM! What was going to happen to HER!

NEXT TIME!

Mars is out of commission for a little while. Can the Senshi pull together without her spiritual guidance? Will the Black Moon try to take advantage of her confused state and more importantly what will the Senshi do about Chibi-Usa?

Find out in Act 9 of Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon R!


	9. Head Games

Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon R

Act 9

_Hikawa Shrine_

"OOOOOHHHHHH!"

That was the sound that was heard the day after the fight at the ice cream parlor. What's more its the sound that came from Rei Hino after getting a NASTY blow to the head when she smacked the concrete and scared everyone to death. When Cloud found Mars collapsed on the steps after blacking out from the pain the first inclination was to get her to the hospital but then how would THAT have gone? Chances were not good so he carried her up the stairs to her bedroom and took care of the fire Senshi. He DID call Saeko first thing in the morning to see if she could come check Rei out before she went to work and the results from what Saeko could do there weren't great.

First the good news: The blow wasn't hard enough(although it sure sounded like it at first) to cause a concussion or memory loss. The bad news was that she wasn't getting out of bed for a couple of days and Rei tried her best to plead her case but the good doctor would hear NONE of it! Josh knew better than to argue with his mother and he wasn't about to start now. When Rei laid back on the bed she felt so uncomfortable that when Josh got up to go to work himself she almost begged him not to. The problem was that she knew he had to go so she didn't put up a fight about it and just drifted off to dreamland.

That day when Joshua went to the CROWN he made it his priority first to go check his mail on the computer in what became his "office" as the Senshi referred to it. When he entered Luna was sitting on the chair next to his desk and that made him smile which he honestly needed at this point! "Good Afternoon Luna-chan!" Joshua exclaimed before kissing the little girl on her forehead and taking his seat at his computer. "Afternoon Curtis-sensei. How was school today?" She asked and even though It might have been painful for him he figured bottling it up would suck more.

"Well let's see" Joshua began "Usagi flunked one of the easiest tests I can give ,One student caught themselves trying to pick a fight with Ami about something and if it wasn't for Mako-chan I think I'd have killed the student and oh yeah Rei's got a head injury that could put her on the shelf for a few days MINIMUM! Other than that...life is swell!" Josh said sarcastically and Luna honestly felt bad for asking after all that. She felt so bad in fact that she went and made a stepladder out of the books she brought with her just to give Josh a hug and a kiss on the cheek. It was one of the rare times Josh blushed for sure

"Thanks Luna" Josh said as he busied himself with typing away at the keyboard "Sometimes I wish you were permanently human ya know? You're one of the few people I can honestly say I relate to at times or that has no problem making me feel better." He told his friend and she just smiled pleasantly before speaking again. "You're a good man Joshua. Don't let anyone EVER tell you differently you hear?" Luna said in a manner that was more statement than question and Joshua just silently nodded while she resumed her seat next to her friend. It was obvious that Joshua genuinely felt like shit after what happened to Rei and Luna knew it wasn't HIS fault but she knew he still felt bad over it.

A good while had passed when down the steps came Usagi ,Makoto and Ami obviously to have a meeting(or that was Joshua's hope at this point) and made his way out there to see what exactly was going on. The good news was that she didn't forget to bring Chibi-Usa but Luna was still wary around the kid. Its completely understandable though when you consider that NO ONE seemed to know where she came from and she WASN'T in the mood to tell today!

"Why did you bring me here Usagi?" Chibi-Usa asked pointedly at the older girl and Usagi ,whom apparently had enough of her garbage for the day, was all but ready to nail the kid but thought better of it and answered the inquiry. "Look we brought you here because we need to get to the bottom of what you are doing here. Its obvious that from the events of yesterday you said you were looking for your mother right? Who is she?" Usagi asked in an unusually firm tone and that kind of spooked the pink haired girl before Ami tried a different tact.

"We just want to help you Chibi-Usa but if you don't give us the information we need we can't. You understand right?" Ami asked gently and the girl nodded. Josh and Luna stood from afar and watched as Chibi-Usa tried her best to keep her composure under the mini interrogation. "I-I don't know who she is Ami. I just know that I was told to find my mother here and get the Mystic Silver Crystal for her." Chibi-Usa explained and when Josh heard "Mystic Silver Crystal" he nearly fainted but kept cool when he asked a question to the girl.

"What is it like where you're from? What is the situation that's going on and whom is behind it?" He asked and as she turned to look at him her eyes started welling up with tears and it took every ounce of child restraint she had to not start crying while answering Josh's question. "She was captured by some bad people and they said that if the Mystic Silver Crystal isn't given to them then they'll...they'll..." Chibi-Usa stopped as she started to lose it again but this time Josh ran to the side of the young girl and just held her while she silently sobbed on his shoulder. Usagi saw this and was impressed by the compassion he showed towards Chibi-Usa and just smiled when the two broke apart.

A decision was made at the meeting that Usagi would take Chibi-Usa to see Mamoru to see if he could help her in any way. When it adjourned Makoto, Ami, Joshua and Luna went to go grab a bite to eat before Ami had to head off to Alto. This was something that Joshua occasionally did with students in the states and it usually benefited them well. As Ami left Josh was still deeply concerned over Rei's condition and prayed that when he called her she wouldn't accidentally knock the phone off the bed!

[RING RING!]

"Hello" Rei said groggily as she answered her cell phone. Apparently she was in a very deep sleep when Josh called but she didn't mind at all. "Hey Hino-kun. I was just calling to see if you needed anything while I was out. The Shrine is right on my way home so if you need something don't hesitate to ask." Josh said to his fiery girlfriend. "Could you get me a black tea from the store. I forgot that I didn't have any when I checked the fridge the other day." Rei replied and Joshua nodded as he filed that in his mental file. After he filed the order away she told him she was going back to sleep and if he drops it off to wake her no matter what time it is. He nodded in response and flipped the phone shut before turning to the brunette standing next to him.

"I need to work on my timing" He jokingly stated to Makoto whom looked a little peeved but nothing too serious before speaking. "So what did she tell you to get from the store?" She asked and Joshua answered. Oddly...just a black tea. Its odd because I could have swore..." Josh cut himself off when he went through his file on the spot and remembered something: He and Rei went to the store two days ago and they stocked up on those things. There was no way she could have been out! Was the blow more severe than Saeko believed?

Josh said a hurried goodbye to Makoto and ran like he stole something! If his girlfriend's injury was more severe than he thought initially then people were gonna suffer! When he got to the shrine he made his way to the kitchen and checked the fridge just to make sure he wasn't insane and sure enough there were like 10 black teas in the fridge. The problem was that Rei didn't remember they went together to the store only 48 hours ago and got groceries for like the next two months. This alarmed Joshua so much that after he checked the fridge he powerwalked to Rei's room and this unfortunately(or fortunately depending how we look at it) woke Rei up as she sat on the side of the bed and waited for Josh to come in.

"Rei" Josh started "I'm going to ask you some simple questions for a baseline. I want you to answer them honestly because I'm fearing for the worst here alright?" Joshua asked her and she complied with his order. "What's today's date?" He asked her and she told him(for the record it was 21st October) "What is your name?" he asked her and she recited it back to him satisfactorily "Who am I and what connection do I have to you?" He asked her and she answered again with no problems.

"Alright sorry about that my dear" Josh said as he started his apology "I was just concerned that you might have started to suffer slight memory loss from the blow yesterday." He told Rei and that got a bit of a questioning look but when he explained what she had told him she wanted and that he had remembered they went to go get the groceries a few days earlier she understood why he was so concerned. After the small talk he went and got her a tea from the kitchen and stayed by her side for a little while. He promised that he would get a sub for the next day and stay with her to see what she could do and not do still. He also told her under NO CIRCUMSTANCES was she to even TRY and go into battle even if they really needed her! The last thing they needed was someone whom had a head injury going into battle loopy. It wouldn't benefit anyone except the bad guys.

The next day came and Josh was there as promised. He watched her carefully to make sure she didn't hurt herself since ,after careful examination by Saeko, the blow she took was more serious than the initial test she gave. She actually admitted that was the first time she ever accidentally mistreated a patient and felt bad about it because this was her son's girlfriend. If she made an error like that with her then imagine the mistakes she might not have caught while having other patients under her care. This was only the first time that Saeko made a mistake like this but she hoped and prayed it would never happen again!

With Josh occupied with Rei Luna took it upon herself to do some maintenance on his computer at the hideout and interestingly enough didn't crash it! She added a program to his computer to keep track of the "crystal points" they protected and also the ones that are supposedly the focal points of Black Moon. As she put the programs into place she figured Josh needed she went into the rest area that Josh made and took a quick catnap before heading off to see Joshua at the shrine and hopefully a recovered Sailor Mars.

While Luna slept the other girls came into the HQ and conversed about Rei's situation. This time before they came Usagi had dropped off Chibi-Usa to see Mamoru but when she did she noticed something strange about the whole situation. Not long after she dropped her off Mamo-chan would start to pay more attention to Chibi-Usa than Usagi herself. Now Usagi isn't conceited or at least not like a girl that used to be a real prick named Mio Kuroki ,but something was wrong with this picture and it wasn't clear what...at least not yet!

With that being one of the main topics of the meeting Usagi tried her best to stay focused along with the other girls but she was having a hard time concentrating. This was affecting her worse than she would admit to her teammates though. You see when Makoto asked her about it Usagi played it off like it was nothing and diverted the conversation to something a bit more pleasant. Makoto noticed this tactic and wanted to try and pursue Usagi's demeanor when Josh came in as if he had just ran up and back on a football field about 10 times!

"How's Rei-chan Curtis-chan?" Makoto asked as their teacher flopped into one of the chairs. "She's doing better Makoto. I'd say if we give it another couple of days she'll be well enough to fight again and in a few weeks she might not have a 'problem' that was discovered by Saeko and I today." Josh explained to the girls and when he mentioned a problem this greatly alarmed them so Josh had to do his best to explain it.

"Rei is suffering from a bit of a sporadic memory loss problem. She'll remember most of the important things she had to do or names of people she knows well but there are other things that ,while they may be trivial, Saeko is worried that if she takes another severe blow in some manner we could have a real problem." Josh explained and Ami swallowed hard. Her and Rei had gotten to be really close recently and if anything endangered her health ,be it physical or mental, then she was going to very much worried about what COULD happen if she went into battle in the current state she's in. This was going to be truly a test for the Senshi.

As night fell Josh was walking back to the temple when he got a phone call from a # he didn't recognize but decided to answer it anyways...

"_We have something you're going to need soon"_

[CLICK!]

"[BLEEP]ing hell!" Was all Joshua could say as he flipped his phone shut and walked back up the temple steps to see how Rei was feeling. When he got to the main temple he sat down on the walkway next to his girlfriend and gently put his arm around her as she stared off into space. Rei wasn't completely oblivious to her friend sitting next to her and leaned into him and closed her eyes before speaking.

"Curtis-sensei" She began "what would you do if something happened to me?" Rei asked worriedly but Josh didn't hesitate to answer the question. "Well if you got mortally wounded I'd go after the scumbag that did it to you. If someone somehow manipulated you to going to the 'dark side' I wouldn't go after YOU but I would go after the person that is trying to make me fight you. I'd love to find the scumbag responsible for giving you the head injury so that I can show them what it feels like to not be able to remember things." Josh told Rei and she smiled at his answers

"Yep...you're Ami's brother alright!" Rei said happily while Joshua stroked her arm a couple of times before getting up and helping her up to take her to her room. Rei still needed rest and she knew that at the same time she didn't want to seem helpless to her comrades. Josh assured her that they didn't feel that way and if they did he would have a long talk with them and tell them about themselves before it really got out of hand! Rei smiled at the assertiveness of her friend and watched as he walked out of the room before fading off into nothingness for the rest of the night.

_Mizuno Residence_

"So you don't know this number on the phone?" Joshua asked Ami when he showed her the number that called a few hours prior. "No Josh that number doesn't ring a bell to me. I don't THINK its our mother's cell # and I KNOW it doesn't belong to the rest of the Senshi...hmm?" Ami tried to think of whom could be attached to that number but Josh told her not to worry about it as he went to his room and shut the door where ,as luck would have it, Luna was sitting on his windowsill waiting for permission to come in. He waved her in and she took her seat on Josh's bed while he sat and stared blankly at the cell phone again.

"Problem Curtis-san?" Luna asked and Josh showed her the number. She took a good long look at it before telling him that she didn't recognize the number. Hearing all this conversation Zoisite emerged from his stone and decided to see if he could help with the matter. When Joshua showed him the number he frowned and not because he DIDN'T know the number but because he DID! "That's Kunzite Curtis-san. I can't tell you WHERE he is but I know for a fact that's his number...what did he want anyways?" Zoi asked and Josh explained the message he got from him and that caused the eccentric pianist to have a ponder before speaking again.

"Prncess Mars has a head injury right?" Zoisite asked and both Joshua and Luna nodded "Its possible that if she takes another blow like the one she took days ago they COULD and WOULD try to use that to their advantage. They also know that you have a bond with her and would test you every chance they got. Your loyalties would be greatly tested Joshua and I hope that you can make the right decision if that time comes." Zoisite explained to Joshua and the Heavenly Warrior had but one question for him.

"Let's play 'Worst Case Scenario' and they get to her and manipulate her: Outside of killing her or even the Silver Crystal would there be a way to combat it?" Josh asked and this caught both Luna and Zoi off guard. He knew the answer was yes but would his friend like the response. "Hopefully that time never comes Josh but if it did...you'd have to go see Kunzite. He was the mastermind behind turning your sister against the Senshi once before. In a 'Last Resort' scenario...'SHE'D' have to come back!" Zoi exclaimed and when Josh saw Luna's face he knew it was something bad and by bad I mean REALLY BAD!

"Thanks for the input my friend. I'll be in touch" Josh told his friend as he signed off and as he did Luna silently prayed that it wouldn't have to come down to what had happened before Joshua came home. If it did who could control the entity amongst the Senshi to prevent a really NASTY problem!

Over the next few days the Senshi were able to halt Berthier again ,Coan and Calaveras from taking over any of the points that they found and thankfully Mars wasn't needed to be called on. In the back of Cloud's mind however he knew that something was going to be brewing and it was only a matter of time before the shit really hit the fan! He knew what he was going to have to do!

"Kunzite...its me Cloud. I need to speak with you ASAP!"

NEXT TIME...

Uh oh! Joshua's got some explaining to do! Will Kunzite and the rest of the Captains be able to assist Joshua or will they stick their noses up at him? Is it possible that the return of a Senshi's dark side could be a "good thing" for the team or would it blow up in their face?

All this and more next time in Act 10 of Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon R!


	10. Countdown to Darkness

A/N: 10 Acts! That's right kids this will be the 10th act of the PGSM fan fic that I started writing on a whim after watching about 11 episodes of the programme on Youtube and let me tell you I have just as much fun watching the show as I do writing this story for everyone on the site. I hope and pray that you will continue to read and support this story and all the other fics that I will write in the future and get ready because we've only just begun!

Joshua a.k.a. ShootingStar147

Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon R

Act 10

It had been a day or two since Joshua called Kunzite to arrange for a meeting and suffice to say he was as nervous as ever! What would he do if the rest of the Shitennou refused to help him? Would HE go ballistic and try to massacre each of them? Would he take it on the chin and walk away quietly OR would he outright insist for their help? All these questions were mulled around in his head when Ami knocked on his door interrupting his thoughts.

"Brother...is everything alright?" Ami asked worriedly as she walked up behind her elder sibling and gave him a hug. Josh didn't say anything at first but held back the urge he had to start crying like a baby as he told his sister to sit down on the bed so that he could talk to her. "Ami...tell me about what happened to you the time you were brainwashed by the 'Dark Kingdom'." Josh requested and Ami told him everything. She also told him that during that time she really started to "lose herself" even when she was under the control of the Kingdom. Josh took all of this into consideration and decided to continue with the conversation.

"You know I'm worried about Rei-chan right?" Josh asked and Ami nodded. How could he NOT be worried about her? That WAS his girlfriend so OF COURSE he should be worried about her! "Ami...what would you do if one of the few people that you knew here was turned evil in any way or at the VERY LEAST persuaded to fight on the 'Dark Side'? Would you leave them for dead ,try to reason with them OR possibly try to 'fight fire with fire'?" Josh asked and Ami had to think about the question for a moment. This wasn't some cut and dry question that he was laying out for her. There were a myriad of possibilities and any could be right but picking the ABSOLUTE right one...

"I was talking to Usagi-chan one day Ami and she told me that before you became 'Dark Mercury' you had a fight with Osaka-san and you started doubting yourself...sound about right?" Josh asked and Ami nodded before he continued. "I have a feeling ,a REALLY BAD feeling, that Rei-chan might start going through a period like this soon but hers will be worse because of the fact of the blow she took. Mom told me when she diagnosed it the second time that the blow she took is tricky because even when she starts feeling better she still might have some really dark moments. I think I'm going to have to find a way to try and cheer her up so that the Black Moon doesn't do to her what the Dark Kingdom did to you." Josh explained and Ami knew how painful that had to be for Josh to get out. He wasn't the most expressive at times but when he was it came out in bunches.

The next day Rei returned to T*A and Josh was her escort. When he brought her to the school he told the principal if she started to feel REALLY bad to give him a call. Haruna was on standby at Juuban in case he had to go. When Joshua got back to Juuban Haruna was the first person to greet him at the gate. "Curtis-san!" She exclaimed "How's your friend doing? She any better?" She asked and Josh just smiled and nodded. He wasn't about to tell her about the potential depression issues that could end up rearing their head because of her injury. No need to worry the school right?

As the day went on everything went as it should and Josh spotted one of the all-time anomalies when Naru was having lunch with Ami! He had to go look outside to see if there was snow coming down already and thankfully there wasn't but DAMN this was a shock! Josh observed that for a little while when Seijuro came up to Josh to ask about Rei. He got the same story that Haruna got. He hated not being honest with people but this was a matter he really didn't want to get out because of how painful it was for him.

The day flew by and as Ami went to Alto Usagi suggested going to T*A to pick Rei up. Josh had no problem with that and apparently neither did Makoto whom ,despite differences in the past, respected the girl enough to help her in her time of need. As the group headed off to the school Usagi's cell went off and Luna was on the other end. "Usagi hurry Chibi-Usa turned up missing and your parents can't find her! Hurry up and find her before the Black Moon does!" Luna ordered and Usagi transformed and then ran off to find the pink haired girl!

_Meanwhile at T*A_

"What do you mean she went home early on her own?" Josh screamed as he damn near leaped over the desk at the secretary. "Josh we tried our best to convince her to stay or to at least let us call you to come pick her up but she would let us. She said 'I'm perfectly capable to go home on my own.' and then stormed out. Security tried to convince her to at least let us call you because they know she trusts you and she just blew past them." The woman explained and then Josh calmed down slightly because at least he knew that the woman tried. Makoto on the other hand...

"[BLEEP]!" Was all she said and proceeded to walk out and then walk with a purpose to the Shrine and Josh had to run after her to make sure that she didn't kill the girl. Mako assured Joshua that she was just going to talk to Rei to see what was going on(and she did) and make sure that she was all right. When they got to the shrine Josh saw Rei leaned up against a tree in her school uniform staring off into space until Josh's cell went off and Luna told him exactly what she told Usagi and he excused himself as he left the premises. This was the perfect chance for Makoto to try and find out what was going on in the Miko's head!

"Rei" Makoto started "what's wrong bud? Why did you leave the school early today?" She asked and all Rei could do was look down at the ground and not respond. This worried Makoto greatly as she tried another tact. "Did something happen..." Makoto was going to finish with "at school" but got cutoff by a slightly annoyed Rei.

"NOTHING HAPPENED ALRIGHT?" She snapped before realizing that unconsciously she had yelled at her friend and then calmed herself before continuing "I-I just wasn't feeling well and decided to leave early. I didn't call Josh not because I didn't want him to come but because I just wanted to be alone for a little while." Rei explained before she collapsed to the ground sobbing uncontrollably. Makoto could do nothing more than hold Rei while she wept. Apparently she wasn't all better or this wouldn't have happened!

_Elsewhere..._

"SHINE AQUA ILLUSION!"

"SPARKLING WIDE PRESSURE!"

"VENUS LOVE ME CHAIN!"

"MOON TWILIGHT FLASH!"

This was the result of a fight between the "Four Phantoms" and the Senshi that WERE assembled! The Phantoms had found the girl at a construction site and were ready to kill her but almost all of the group was there(minus Jupiter and Mars of course) and it was damn near Armageddon! All of the attacks that had been unleashed got canceled out until out of nowhere a blast came that knocked Usagi into one of the back walls and nearly unconscious. The second blast which came from the same place hit her harder and DID knock her out! Luna freaked out and was ready to call Josh's cell phone again when Tuxedo Mask showed up to protect his girlfriend despite issues that they had been having lately. Usagi got up and was able to defeat but not destroy the gentleman known as Crimson Rubeus and cautioned that he could show up at any time and fight the leader of the Senshi that he chose now. He also very casually referred to Mars' injury which caused Cloud ,whom had literally just gotten there, to speak up.

"If you think for one second that I'm going to let you lay a single finger on her..." Cloud was cutoff by Rubeus whom just laughed before speaking "You'll what? Make my life miserable? Please we've already had our lives ruined because of Moon scum like you ,your sister and your lover! By the way...how is Mars doing? Is she feeling any batter?" He asked and Cloud just got angrier and angrier to the point where if Ail and En hadn't shown up(And Rubeus had come down) Cloud would have ripped him a new one!

"You will not TOUCH Mars do you hear me? She's not yours to take or mind[BLEEP]! You already have enough toys with the four girls that you control now don't you? You're a sad man Crimson and I'm gonna make it my duty to kill you and every single member of your clan...YOU HEAR ME?" Cloud screamed and the Phantoms looked to their leader whom then just teleported off and the Phantoms followed suit. Cloud knew what he had to do and if he didn't his then he was going to have to do something ELSE that was staring him in the face and he didn't know how the rest of the team would take it. After all...they danced with HER once before and they know just what she's capable of! As Cloud walked off he got on his cell and made a phone call

"Get the bracelet ready...I think we are gonna need her services again!"

End of Act 10


	11. Decisions Decisions

Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon R

Act 11

_Three days later/Mizuno Residence_

"You've been speaking a lot with Kunzite lately haven't you Joshua?"

This was the question that Zoisite asked Joshua when he came home from school. Somehow Zoisite found out that Kunzite and Joshua have been in communication about what to do if the Black Moon got a hold of her. Josh didn't like where it might end up going but the fact was it WAS the elephant in the room and he knew that he was going to have to address it at some point.

"I don't like the idea any more than you do probably but let's face facts for a second okay? This Rubeus fellow has a bead on Mars and its apparent he will do what he can with her condition to manipulate her and control her. Its kind of like what Kunzite did to Mercury EXCEPT I have a feeling that she went to the Black Moon she'd do so willingly. Her personality is very much like that at times in the very short time I've known her here." Josh explained and Zoisite understood his friend's situation. The bigger question is "What would Josh do to make it interesting to ensure that Kunzite couldn't refuse the offer?"

"You do realize that Kunzite is a hard man to bargain with right Josh? He'll make the deal so that it benefits HIM and him alone. If you agree to it and you fail its your life you know that right?" He asked and Josh nodded. The good news was that so far they didn't need to complete the transaction so he had time to mull it over.

The next day at T*A Josh had to sub again. The reason was because Rei had bolted from the premises again and was getting progressively more violent towards the other girls. When Josh heard this he immediately called Haruna the night prior and told her to take his place at Juuban for a day or two until he could get to the bottom of the aggressive nature that Rei was starting to take. Haruna agreed without hesitation and Josh went to T*A and observed the class for the day.

The day went fine and Rei stayed in the school(for a change) but she did have one incident with a girl whom honestly just wanted to talk to her and Rei nearly caved in her throat with a chop! Had Josh not been there and stepped in the girl would have been dead! Josh told Rei explicitly that if she had an outburst like that again she was going to the Principal and that was final. Rei did her work and left everyone else alone for the day to the wonder of many.

When Josh got home Ami was there with Saeko and they were both interested in how the day went at Rei's school. Josh explained the situation of what happened and then asked if its possible that Rei's falling back into one of her "old habits". When Saeko asked what Joshua meant Ami explained that when they first met Rei she was a loner and didn't do much with the rest of her friends. She basically stayed in the Shrine and didn't go to parties when Usagi had them and refused to sing(although she did for her school's festival which was interesting). Josh asked his mother if its possible that her attitude change could be because of the blow she took and the elder Mizuno nodded. This scared Josh because of the fact that he knew that she was being targeted and worried that it could be used to the Black Moon's advantage!

A few days later and mercifully it appeared that the Senshi were going to get some unexpected allies! Coan and Berthier had grown sick of being treated like puppets of the Clan. This became more evident after they failed to kill certain members of the Senshi and then Moon healed them(although they did have some power left) to rid them of the Black Moon's influence. The interesting bit about this was Cloud protested making them members of the team but wouldn't specify why. Luna agreed with Joshua and Moon complied. There was something he wasn't telling the girls and it ate him up but the time wasn't right yet and he hoped he'd never have to come out with it.

With half of the sisters healed Rubeus stepped it up with Calaveras and Petz. He made sure that they went hard after the team until they were ready to quit and the ultimate showdown happened on a bridge with Petz taking control of a scepter that augmented her power but also turned her into electricity wielding maniac that didn't give a DAMN about anyone else! This was evident when ,to the amazement of many, she attacked Calveras and stunned the group. To make it better when Coan and Berthier were freed from their prison and the scepter got knocked out of Petz's hand Rubeus betrayed the remaining two girls and tried to suck everyone into a void to kill them all! Disaster was adverted when the girls went in and blew the thing up from the inside and then converted the remaining to phantoms back to civilians. Rubeus saw this from his perch inside the UFO and became increasingly more and more angry and vowed to find a way to get back at the soldiers that had been meddling in his plans!

_Two days later..._

Joshua was at the shrine with Ami and Makoto trying their best to cheer Rei up because they knew that she needed it. Since the concussion that she suffered Rei had just about become a shut in and the only person she truly communicated with was Joshua. Even after the day when Rei had a breakdown in front of Makoto she still wouldn't talk to the brunette and this perplexed both Joshua and Makoto greatly. Makoto believed in her heart of hearts that the girl was finally starting to open up again and yet this behavior showed otherwise. It was even a shock when Minako called Rei to see how she was feeling but anyone that knows their history knows exactly how Rei felt about the pop idol.

When the night came Josh decided to go over Makoto's apartment for a bit and both Luna and Chibi-Usa came with him. It had occurred to him that he never really got to hang out with the tomboy of the school and that actually bothered him. Why? Well consider that so far he's been either with Rei or Ami and even he knew that he didn't like showing favoritism to anyone. Makoto was actually quite happy that Josh wanted to come for a visit and made a nice dinner for the group. Luna would have been surprised with how well she could cook had she not been around to observe her once before!

"I usually don't get many visitors to the apartment so you'll have to forgive me for being a little unprepared." Mako told the group and Josh just waved it off. "No big deal Makoto. I originally was going to go home and just have a ready meal but it had occurred to me that...I haven't really gotten to know you all that well yet. I know that you live alone and for someone as young as yourself that is quite commendable but don't you ever get lonely around here?" Josh asked and Makoto just shook her head. He quickly apologized if the questions seemed insensitive but she told him it was alright.

"The running joke amongst the Senshi is that Makoto is like the 'Big Sister" of the group. We call her that because she looks out for everyone and refuses to let anyone be bullied no matter what!" Luna explained and this information caught Joshua off guard but at the same time he found it quite cool as did Chibi-Usa. "So I guess what you could say is that she is almost like the 'Guardian of the Guardians' right Luna?" Chibi-Usa asked and Luna nodded as she handed the salt and pepper to Luna while wearing a clothespin on her nose. Not because of the food(which smelled as good as it tasted mind you) but because of a certain "condition" that forces her to revert back to her cat form.

As dinner came and went the group was indeed full and satisfied and it only got a little tense when Makoto asked Josh about who he's been talking to on the phone. He only revealed that "Was someone that the Senshi had fought before and that might help them in the future" and Makoto was satisfied with that answer. She knew that she didn't want to press the issue because she didn't want to seem nosy or lose Joshua's trust that she was starting to earn. When they left the apartment everyone thanked Makoto for the wonderful meal and after Joshua dropped Chibi-Usa off back to Usagi's he headed off with Luna back to his house. On the way back Luna decided to try and strike up a conversation with the "Heavenly Warrior".

"Joshua" She began "You're worried about something I can tell. You wanna talk about it?" Luna asked and Josh just smiled before speaking. "Its always interesting to me when people aren't feeling well but they are too stubborn to ask people for help. I sometimes wonder why I'm a warrior at times but then I quickly realize that its because there are people that care about me and I care about them equally to the point where I would do just about ANYTHING to help my friends out. I've said to people back in the states that if they needed my help I was there for them and I mean that more now than I ever did then." Josh explained to Luna and she knew EXACTLY what he was referring to.

"You're not the only one worried about Rei Joshua. We all have been worried that with her depression that she has been going through that the Black Moon could do to her what the Dark Kingdom did to Ami. We don't know what we'd do this time if she was turned against us but if you have any ideas..." Luna was cutoff as Josh interjected his continuation of the thought. "I have plenty of ideas Luna but my question for the Senshi is this: Will they like the one that has stuck out the most since I've been preparing for the worst!" Josh exclaimed and Luna had to pause for a minute before covering her mouth. He couldn't have POSSIBLY been hinting at doing...THAT could he?

The answer would come about 3 days on when Rubeus challenged all 5 Senshi to come up on the UFO to fight him. Usagi tried to persuade Chibi-Moon to stay behind but she made it quite clear that she was going no matter what. When they got on the ship all was quiet...too quiet! It was the kind of quiet that made you know something was up and back at the Mizuno household Josh mulled over the scenarios that could happen...none were any good!

While Josh was pondering all that a black hole opened up behind him in the bedroom. He had to do a double take to make sure that it was what he thought it was and then alerted Zoisite before he headed in there. Zoi told him that it was the Shitennou's way of inviting him in for a discussion. Josh nodded and when he entered the space and came out the other side he looked around at the dark ,dank ,wet cave that the three remaining Captains lived in. He didn't want to face them unless he truly needed them but Zoisite assured him that it would go as planned.

When Josh reached the end of the hallway and the room where the Captains were gathered he formally bowed before addressing each of the men assembled. "Gentlemen I'm here before you tonight not as an enemy. I'm here because of a bit of distress that has started to fall over the Sailor Senshi of the Moon Kingdom. One of our teammates has been injured and there is a fear that the Black Moon Clan could use this to their advantage and try to bring her over to their side. My fear is that even with the will that Mars has they'll find a way to do it or she could just jump on her own. That's been a fear of mine since she was injured in the first place." Joshua explained and they all took in the information gathered before Kunzite spoke on their behalf.

"And that would explain why you and I have been in discussions over this.." Kunzite trailed off as he produced a jewelry box with the bracelet that Ami knew all too well. Joshua nodded and he continued. "I can give this bracelet for use with no problems BUT there is one condition: If Mercury puts the bracelet on again YOU become solely responsible for what she does. YOU will be the Master of Dark Mercury AND..." Kunzite was going to finish his statement but got cutoff by Nephrite "And WHAT? Listen Josh has done nothing to you and he's asking for our help because someone he cares about might end up turning on them. THAT is why he came to us am I right Joshua?" Nephrite asked and while Josh nodded he wanted to hear what Kuzite had to finish with the conditions.

"If she puts this bracelet on again you two will become tethered psychically. If she gets hurt YOU'LL feel it and vice versa. So long as you can agree to these terms the bracelet is yours. Do we have a deal?" He asked and Joshua nodded without hesitation. That floored Nephrite and even Jadeite was concerned for his well-being. All of the Shitennou prayed that Josh wouldn't need to use that bracelet but something in the back of his mind told him otherwise! The day was coming where "Darkness was coming to the Senshi" and this time one of their own had to control her!

NEXT TIME...

The Senshi are up in the UFO and Joshua now has the bracelet. Will the day come when one of the "Ultimate Evils" has to help the Sailor Senshi or can they find a way to prevent complete chaos amongst their ranks?

Find out in Act 12 of Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon R


	12. Black Ice

Author's Note: I would like to welcome you all to what is being called the "Mars Saga". This particular part of the story is a tribute to a fellow fan fiction author named Greg Taylor that wrote the wonderful and epic "What Evil Lurks" fan fiction which I had the pleasure of reading in my high school years. It is a story that predates the "Dark Mercury" saga from the Pretty Guardian Series and this is my way of paying homage to such an excellent author. Greg this one's for you bud!

Joshua a.k.a. ShootingStar147

Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon R

Act 12

"SAILOR MOON!" Jupiter cried as Rubeus got her and got her good with one of his blasts. The blast was enough to nearly knock her off the platform which ,had she not stopped her momentum, would have proved fatal as she would have fallen off and landed in the deadly abyss below. Venus attempted to attack with her "Love Me Chain" but that just got thwarted as the attack was absorbed by the red headed leader of the Clan. Just HOW were they supposed to beat this guy?

The answers weren't getting any closer as Mercury tried to freeze him with her Shine Aqua Illusion but that was of no use and it got worse when Mars not only didn't get anywhere with her Mandala attack but watched in a surprised GLEE as the attack struck Ami and knocked her down hard! Had it not been for Sailor Moon's intervention Mars was fixing to end the life of her so-called "friend" right on the spot! What in the HELL was she THINKING?

"Mars? What did you...how could you?" Was all Usagi got out as she looked at the expression on Mars' face. THAT was the surprising bit because there was NONE! Mars was just as cold then as when she first met Usagi ,Ami and Makoto and Rubeus knew what he had to do. "That's right Mars they mean nothing to you. They never cared about you or your feelings! They used you like a insignificant cog in their plans and abused you. Come join me and I'll make sure you are never alone again." He told Mars whom nodded and followed Rubeus through one of the mirrors. Had this been her plan all along and more to the point: How would Joshua take this?

When the team escaped the UFO their souls were shattered and their spirits broken. One of their own had betrayed them and this time it was their spiritual leader. The team didn't know what ,if anything, they could do or how to handle the situation as far as telling Joshua but one thing was for absolute certain: It wasn't going to be fun!

_The next day..._

Joshua had gotten to school earlier than normal. He had a spring in his step and a song in his heart. There was NOTHING that could possibly put him in a bad mood!

And THEN he got the bad news from the girls that were there!

"Your kidding me right? She did WHAT?" Joshua exclaimed while they were huddled in a corner of the roof that Ami liked to study on. Obviously they just gave him the news that he wasn't gonna like and didn't. This now put him in a tougher spot than he realized.

"We were shocked too when we saw how easy Rubeus blocked the attacked and bounced it back at Makoto. Its tough for us because while we have dealt with a matter like this before its not something you get used to." Usagi explained and when she said "matter like this before" he flinched. He knew they needed to know but HOW was he going to tell them?

"Alright...after school everyone meet at the CROWN and we'll discuss this matter in better detail. In the meantime we do have a school day to get through so try your best to act normal so as not to drag anyone else into this matter." Josh explained to the girls and they did as ordered. As they walked off Josh looked in his back pocket where he kept the box with "The Bracelet" and prayed that he didn't have to unleash HER on the Black Moon!

At the CROWN everyone came as a group which was a good thing and when Joshua saw the last person come in on his newly installed surveillance camera he came out from his little cave and greeted everyone politely before starting the meeting. "Alright" He began "who wants to tell me how the whole thing went down?" he asked and no one was going to be the willing taker so he elected Makoto since she was the one that suffered the brunt of the betrayal.

"It started off fine Sempai" She began "we were all firing on all cylinders and Mars APPEARED willing to help out. It looked promising when Moon hit one of her attacks but the second time he either had a barrier up or something cos no one could do a thing against him. Mercury's ice attack was absorbed ,Venus' chain didn't do anything and I tried the SWP(Sparkling Wide Pressure) and that didn't work! When we saw Mars use the Mandala either she knew it wasn't going to work or she didn't know and didn't care. At this point considering the scar I got from the burn I'm voting that she just flat out didn't give a [BLEEP] and wanted to severe ties with us!" Makoto told Joshua and of all the girls in the room outside of Ami her opinion was one that she honestly trusted the most.

"Did anyone else see it differently?" Joshua asked and when he got no response he let out a deep sigh. He had heard the story about what he filed away as "The incident" and now he was having to live it himself but this time his girlfriend was the enemy! "All right" He started again "I'm not going to sit her and tell you that if you see her in battle to go easy on her. I won't do that and at this point I can't. You do what you need to do to defeat her or at the least defeat the man responsible for getting her to his side. I will support you no matter what you decide." he told them without divulging that he had something that they were going to need. He didn't because he had hoped that they wouldn't need it and he prayed for that.

The first test for the Senshi came when a Droid attacked Juuban itself. This was an interesting place for a fight because it happened IN 1-1! This was made all the more complicated when Haruna happened to be in the building and got struck by a blast from the enemy and knocked up against and dam near through the wall! Cloud saw this and immediately got her to First Aid and prayed he could get back there in time to help the group.

At the infirmary Cloud tucked Haruna in to one of the beds and told her that he would take care of the manner. Problem with this was that the Droid that they were fighting was five times stronger than any of the previous battles they had! Cloud looked down in his jacket and the bracelet started glowing as if to beckon to him to get it to Mercury ASAP but he refused because he didn't want to unleash the "Dark One" on ANYONE unless he knew that they absolutely needed her! Fortunately for them Tuxedo Mask along with Ail and En showed up and assisted the girls the best they could and they averted that disaster only to then see Mars appear on top of the teacher's desk in her fuku taunting and teasing the girls. Makoto got furious and was ready to strangle the girl but with a flick of her wrist Mars brushed back the angry nature senshi and made one final statement before taking her leave.

"Oh you poor baby. Are you mad about what I did to you in the UFO? I can understand it...really I can. You were sooo naive believing that I was EVER on your side! Your pathetic and you all should be ashamed of yourself!" She exclaimed and when she saw Mercury get even more upset she had to twist the knife into her even more.

"Ah Ami Mizuno or is it Sailor Mercury? Doesn't matter because you are as weak minded as I thought you were. Tell me Ami...what would you do to me if you had a backbone? Would you actually fight me OR would you cower behind that miserable excuse of a boyfriend I used to have and make him fight me for you?" She questioned and Ami saw RED! The only thing that kept her from lunging at Mars was simply the fact that she saw what happened to Jupiter a few minutes ago. All this time and Cloud heard everything. To make it better the madder that Mercury got inside the classroom the brighter the bracelet glowed but he couldn't bring himself to barge in on them with the bracelet in hand. If Mars saw it she would either run or try to prevent Josh from getting it to Ami. This was the unenviable position that he wished he never had to be in!

Two days later and all appeared to be semi-normal. Only "Semi" because the fight with the Droid and the scathing comments that Mars made in the classroom stuck with the Senshi to the point it almost caused a split but Luna was able to get them back together for a meeting at the CROWN and this time Josh decided to make the announcement that he dreaded. "All right first off I wanted to let you all know that Haruna is a lot better and she's resting comfortably at home. She has a few minor bumps and bruises but nothing too serious so we can be thankful of that. What we need to concern ourselves with now is the new droids the Black Moon has at their disposal and of course the woman that is now my former girlfriend in Mars. Apparently she has been learning some new tricks up her sleeve in the short time she has been with the Black Moon. This isn't good and I feared honestly that this day might come...I hoped it wouldn't but it did and now we are stuck with the reality of facing one of our own all over again." Josh told the assembled mass and they all looked grimly at the at the ground. They all knew this and wish it didn't have to be repeated but it was about to get A LOT worse for them.

"I understand that the last you all had to deal with a situation like this it was against my sister and she was manipulated by the man known as Kunzite am I not mistaken?" He asked and they nodded wondering where he was going with this. "I feel its fair that I tell you that I have been in contact with that man and we had some talks about ways to assist the Senshi if the time came when Mars invariably snapped and turned on his. There was one solution that we came up with..." He paused as he pulled out the jewelry box and handed it to Ami whom then proceeded to open it and was flabbergasted by what she saw and uttered the following phrase for Joshua

"Fight evil with evil"

The girls were all taken aback by what she had just said and furthermore when she showed the bracelet to the group they all looked like they were going to be sick! Josh couldn't POSSIBLY be suggesting that Dark Mercury be unleashed again...could he? "I know what you all are thinking but let me assure you of this: She would answer to me solely and she would fight on OUR behalf. I was also given one other condition: As long as Ami puts the bracelet on she is tethered to me. This means that if she gets hurt then I get hurt. That was the price I had to pay to even get the bracelet MADE. Whether or not Ami does it is completely up to her." Josh explained and Makoto had to take a deep breath before speaking again.

"So are you telling us that Dark Mercury might be the answer to helping us with the problem?" She asked and Josh cautiously nodded. He looked over at Ami whom closed up the jewelry box and put it in her pocket before speaking. "I'll think about it Josh. If I agree I want you to put it on for me though...okay?" Ami asked and Josh nodded. He knew that this was going to be a tough decision for her and it was one she was going to have to mull over for a bit before committing one way or the other!

_48 hours later..._

Again another droid that was one of the toughest they had to face and this time there was only three senshi: Moon, Jupiter and Venus! Ami was still at her residence thinking about what had been laid out before her and Josh was sitting at the kitchen table fidgeting and waiting to see what Ami agreed to do. To say it was nerve-racking would be an understatment! About fifteen minutes went by and when Joshua walked up to Ami's room the box was open and the bracelet out of its holder! Was she saying what he THOUGHT she was saying?

"Let's show those Black Moon bastards what happens when you mess with our friends!" Was all she had to say and when Joshua took the bracelet off the desk and placed it on her wrist she couldn't help but smile before uttering the phrase he NEVER thought he'd hear...

"DARK POWER MAKE UP!"

Right then Joshua watched in amazement as he saw the woman that the Senshi feared the most! This time however it wasn't the Senshi that needed to pray!

The duo made their way to the location of the fight and this time it was back at the park. DM and Cloud hid from view for a minute until they saw that the Droid was about to hit the "kill shot" on Moon and then she took matters into her OWN hands and chucked her sword at the jewel in between the breast of the attacker and she started to weaken. Sailor Moon used this opportunity to hit the "Twilight Flash" and defeat the monster. When it was defeated and the sword fell to the ground Usagi knew too well whom that weapon belonged to and when Dark Mercury appeared from the alley with Cloud close behind her only one phrase needed to be said:

"Its a pleasure to serve you my Princess"

NEXT TIME

So Dark Mercury has made an appearance to help the Sailor Senshi. How long can she keep this up and what will happen with Mars when she sees a former nemesis of the Sailor Senshi helping them?

Find out next time in Act 13 of Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon R


	13. Dividing Line

Author's Note: I just wanted to take this moment to thank everyone whom has read this story so far. In the past couple of months since this story has been up on the site it has amassed almost 600 hits! That was a feat I wasn't expecting and I thank all of you whom have read this story so far and commented/favorited. This story is about to get REAL good with the inclusion now of whom I have tagged as the "Dark One" in Dark Mercury. I hope that you enjoy the rest of this arc and the rest of the story as we constantly move one step closer to the end.

Thank you and take care

Joshua a.k.a. ShootingStar147

Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon R

Act 13

The group was stunned when Dark Mercury emerged from the shadows and made her statement to the Princess of the Moon. Sailor Moon didn't know whether to be happy or horrified to be honest. It wasn't all that long ago that this individual attempted to end her life and now here she was saving her from a Black Moon droid! How would you take this if you were her?

"Ami...is that...you?" Usagi asked cautiously and Dark Mercury nodded. It was expected to see the nature that Usagi addressed the Dark Senshi after what happened two days prior. What wasn't expected was the reaction from one of her comrades after seeing DM appear.

"Its a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I trust that what we heard from Cloud is true? " She asked and Mercury gave THAT smile...the kind that while assuring can still be a bit cringe-worthy? Yeah that one!

"I have a mission Jupiter. I am to help protect our Princess from anyone that does her harm. I act accordingly to the orders given to me by my master and brother Warrior Cloud as we are one and the same." She explained and Venus had a look of utter horror. She remembered the last time that she encountered her and knew of the consequences before.

"I won't allow it!" Venus exclaimed and the group shot her a look while she continued "Cloud with all due respect do you KNOW what she did before? She nearly KILLED Usagi and she went after all of us. How blind can you be?" She asked incredulously and DM just smirked before speaking.

"Darling Venus must I show you that you aren't the Princess? That you POSED as her for the longest time and deceived the Senshi in your own way? Better yet how about the fact that you thrust things on people without their knowledge. I'm sure that Mars was just THRILLED to have to sing in front of all those people at the hospital right?" She asked and that completely wounded Venus. It was a known fact that Rei hated singing in general and only did it for special occasions. To have it thrust on her that day was something that she didn't really enjoy and Josh was told by Rei if she could have she'd have punched out Minako on the spot!

"Do what you want!" Venus shot back as she stormed off. As she did Jupiter walked up behind Cloud and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder while he watched her walk off. "She'll be fine" Jupiter started "you just have to understand what happened before and how she hasn't gotten over it. To be perfectly honest I was shocked to see Mercury show up like this. What caused you to do this Ami?" She asked and DM replied the only way she knew how

"My brother has lost something important to him. The Black Moon has gained on of our own and of all of us I know what its like being on that side and having to do the dirty work of bad people. As much as he might not like having to fight her both me and my brother know the irrefutable truth: Sometimes you have to fight fire with fire and in this case you will need me. I just hope that for our sakes the wrong people don't get hurt!" She told them in her usual cold tone. This was something that Usagi remembered from having to fight her friend before but this time...this time she got the chance to work WITH the person they tagged the "Dark One" and in a weird way Usagi couldn't have been happier!

That day at school before the day began Ami handed the bracelet off to Josh to put back in the box. It wasn't that she didn't want to do it anymore...far from it but she didn't want any of the "innocents" to get dragged up into it and that would be what would happen if she wore that bracelet in school. Joshua understood her concerns and adhered to his sister's wishes and kept the box hidden until the school day ended and even then she didn't take it till she came home. The price of wearing that bracelet was a fairly high one and at times exhausting. She didn't want to wear it because she knew that if she did she might not make it through school. Josh understood this well and made sure that she didn't put it on unless they ABSOLUTELY needed her "better half" to come out and play with the baddies.

After school Joshua went to the HQ and decided to jam out to some music by practicing his vocals. Why? Well during the day it was suggested that since they got to hear Ami-chan sing before that it was only fair that they got to hear him sometime. Josh agreed to this and every day that they didn't have a meeting he went down into the HQ and practiced a couple of songs to make sure that he got them down pat. He never told anyone the songs he practiced just in case he did one and he wanted it to be a surprise which. This went on for a week without any real activity on the Black Moon front(or need of Dark Mercury) and one day he DID have an audience with Makoto and Ami when he performed the song that he did it caught the two off guard.

"That was a good performance Curtis-sensei but I have just one question...why that song?" Mako asked and Josh just smiled before answering. "Its the song that reminds me of how much I love a certain someone regardless of how evil she might be right now." Joshua explained and Ami knew to what he was referring. She knew that he couldn't let Rei go and wasn't going to ask him to but she was glad that he got to perform that song. Something told her that it was going to be the "special song" he performed if the time ever came!

A few days later and it was back to business but again they got lucky and DM wasn't needed. Was there some reason the Black Moon was sending out its weakest droids against them? It didn't matter because Venus still had the lingering doubt in her mind that Mercury could snap at any time and turn on them. She did it once before so why not do it again?

The paranoia that Venus felt almost ate away at the unity that the rest of the girls had and Cloud watched Venus carefully to see what she pulled next. He knew that Venus had a rivalry with Mars and that she was brutally attacked by Mercury so either way you wouldn't be able to tell her jack squat! What would Dark Mercury have to do to win favor with Venus...better yet is there ANYTHING she COULD do to earn her trust?

This question would plague the Senshi for a good while until one day when Minako was jumped by three Droids of the "Oh s**t" variety and Cloud watched as Venus was holding her own against the droids until they backed her into a corner and that was when he made the call...

"Showtime Ami!" Was all he said as he made his way into the battleground and assisted the woman that had been the lingering doubter in the group. Venus didn't know whether to thank him or not but right at that time there was no decision that needed to be made other than that of survival! The duo held their own for a good time before Joshua saw his sister out of the corner of his eye and when he realized it was Sailor Mercury the first thought he had was (Good this won't cause Venus to bitch) and yet his second thought was (I'm surprised she didn't summon DM when I called) but either way she did her best to help them as she could.

This worked for a little while until the Calvary showed up and started clearing house! The bad news for them was this was some kind of new droid like the one Usagi fought before and it was starting to kick everyone's ass again! Usagi glanced over her shoulder and made a gesture with her head to tell Joshua to get out of dodge with Ami and when she saw the gesture Ami took Joshua and they disappeared which caught Jupiter off guard before she saw Moon wink at her. It took a few minutes for Jupiter to catch on but it would become all that much clearer especially when she saw what Venus couldn't: One of the droids collapsing shredded and defeated by the blade of Dark Mercury's sword!

The second droid saw that its friend had just been sliced in half and was fixing to go after DM when Cloud got in the three point stance and hit the "Comet Crash" to completely annihilate the second assailant. The third was an effort between Jupiter and Moon while Venus stood in awe of what the sibling duo did! How much powerful had they become and what price did they pay to get that power?

"COME ON OUT RUBEUS! COME ON AND FIGHT ME NOW!" Cloud bellowed but he didn't come. What he got instead was a fire blast right in the back when he wasn't looking which ,due to the terms of the agreement, DM felt every bit of it and it was evident by looking the back of her uniform! Jupiter and Moon ran over to the duo immediately to see who had done that but they didn't have to ask any questions because they already knew.

"MARS! GET OUT HERE AND FIGHT YOU LITTLE BITCH!" Jupiter screamed and Mars came out...problem was she wasn't alone as Rubeus and another gentleman flanked her. The look on her face was that of mock sorrow as she observed her handiwork. "My my Jupiter aren't we in a foul mood? You know its not proper for girls to talk like that right?" Mars taunted and that got a "[BLEEP] you!" from Jupiter while she tended to Cloud to make sure he wasn't seriously hurt.

"Oh dear me I should introduce my new friend shouldn't I? This is Prince Dimande and he watches over our clan. Soon he will rule over ALL of the world when we destroy this pathetic planet bit by bit starting with Tokyo and starting with these two miserable pieces of vermin called 'Dark Mercury' and her brother Warrior Cloud!" She announced and Jupiter looked at the odds they had. It was essentially 4 on 3 cos Venus was steadfast in not getting involved with Dark Mercury which pissed Jupiter off gratefully! Whatever bug crawled up Venus' panties needed to be exorcised soon because otherwise they had NO shot even with Dark Mercury's help.

"Dear Mars do you think you can get rid of me and my brother that easily? The only reason you were able to get him today was because you hit him while he wasn't looking Why don't you try us sometime when we are staring you dead in the face?" Dark Mercury asked with her mouth turning up into one of the most unpleasant smiles ever.

"Hmm that sounds like an idea...but I'll pass! You see its more fun to torment you two because of hos 'close' you two are now. If I want to rid this world both of you I just have to kill one of you. Isn't that fun?" She asked in the most annoying high pitched squeal ever. "Not as much fun as what's going to happen when you have no choice but to fight me and my brother face to face! Oh yes Mars you WILL face us alone..we'll make sure of that!" The "Dark One" proclaimed and this got the attention of Jupiter and Moon alright. DM couldn't be serious...could she?

NEXT TIME...

With Venus not trusting the newest ally of the Sailor Senshi what can Usagi do to get Venus to truly commit to the fold? Is it possible that Venus is more out for herself than the rest of the team OR is there a chance that the group can truly be saved?

See you in Act 14!


	14. The Story of Mars and Cloud

Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon

Act 14

The next day was a fun one for the Ami and Makoto as after Ami got out of Alto the duo headed over to the CROWN and listened to Josh sing again. This time Joshua sang with an even more intense passion than the last time that they heard him! Either the issue with Venus got to him or he wanted to show people that he wasn't afraid to do it. Either way after the performance he got a rousing round of applause from the two girls.

"Thanks girls." He said with a smile as he handed off to Ami whom apparently had ZERO issues singing in front of her friends and while she sang "Yakusoku" Makoto had to ask Joshua about Minako. "Josh" she began "does it bother you that Minako is against Dark Mercury helping us?" she asked and Josh didn't really answer as much as nod but held off with the explanation until they left for the day. Makoto understood this and enjoyed the song that Ami did. Josh joked that he wanted her to do "Mi Amor" but Ami declined. This went on for another hour and then the girls decided to call it a night and while Ami went home Joshua decided to go for a walk with Makoto back to her place.

"Alright Josh spill it!" Makoto ordered and Joshua did just that. "What was it like for you when you transferred to Juuban? It was rough right Mako-chan?" Josh asked and Makoto nodded before he continued. "I can understand Minako's issues with Ami having the bracelet again and us using her 'Dark Side' for assistance...really I can ,but you know that expression about glass houses right?" Josh asked again and Makoto nodded before responding.

"I'm with you about Minako and Dark Mercury but we also have to remember that while Ami was under Kunzite's control your sister nearly killed the Princess. It is going to be hard to get her to listen to reason again regardless of what DM does on our behalf or if you have control over her." Makoto explained and Josh took this into consideration before making his reply.

"But what can we do about Minako? What's it going to take to convince her that Ami is going to work WITH us as Dark Mercury? I'm almost convinced myself that she is fixing to turn against Sailor Moon myself and if that happens..." Josh trailed off and Makoto had to stop walking when she thought about this possibility. "If that happens Josh I'll support whatever you tell Mercury to do. You are her brother and her controller. If you feel that you need to do what I think you're talking about I'll make sure Sailor Moon doesn't stop her! We can't lose another to the Black Moon and execution may be the way we stop it." She told Josh whom cringed at the sheer thought of doing that. He didn't like the prospect but at the same time it wasn't going to be getting any easier for the team especially with Venus being a holdout.

The next few days were an absolute nightmare! Jupiter and Moon had to basically fight on their own because Josh and Ami were away doing something with Saeko and Tuxedo Kamen got into a serious altercation with Mars. The battle against the droid was bad enough but when Venus showed up Jupiter swung on the idol without blinking!

"...the hell Jupiter!" Venus said as she rubbed her cheek. "I don't have a problem Venus but apparently YOU do! What is your issue with Joshua and his sister that you want to cause the separation of the team?" Jupiter yelled at Venus and that reaction really caught her off guard!

"Me...have a problem? If anything I'm the one trying to save us from a potential massacre at the hands of that bit..." Venus got cut off but this time by Sailor Moon whom damn near slapped the taste out of her mouth! "Don't you EVER refer to Ami-chan like that! DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?" Sailor Moon snapped and this caused everyone to stop. Usagi is usually the carefree one but something either happened to her or something because she NEVER acted like this before! Was the stress getting to her?

"She's right Venus." Jupiter explained "Ami is a good girl and you have no right to call her that. Have you ever heard the expression about people living in glass houses? I think you need to take a good long hard examination of yourself before we see you again or before Joshua comes back from his trip with his sister and mother. Personally I'd be thinking of a way to try and reconcile with Joshua or else!" Jupiter told Venus as she turned and walked off. By this time everyone that had been there left and it was another day that you hated to be in the position of leadership.

_Two days later..._

Ami and Joshua returned from their trip with Saeko and Josh got the scoop from Makoto and Usagi about what happened. Josh was mad pissed about what Minako called his sister and Ami was ready to wipe her existence off the face of the Earth. Usagi told them that she was going to try and have a discussion with Minako before too long to try and fix things but with the way they parted company two days prior she knew that all Joshua wanted was Venus' head!

That night Joshua went to Makoto's apartment and had a nice dinner with her. Ami had gone off to Alto and Saeko was on the night shift so he figured he'd spend some time over her place. Makoto enjoyed the company and told Josh it was almost like having a family member over to her. Josh read the file on Makoto about her parents dying in a plane crash and didn't want to bring up the matter but he knew that for her it must honestly have SUCKED to live alone like this.

Josh stayed for a good while after dinner and watched a movie with the Thunder Senshi and of course it was an action flick. Not that he minded because with the way things have been lately he needed to see SOMEONE be able to take out some aggression on something. In more ways than one he wished he could have been there when Minako was calling his sister a bitch and then people would have seen the devil...that was for sure!

It was near midnight when Josh got home and Ami was sound asleep in her room. The interesting bit was when he walked past her room she heard her say "Nephrite" a couple of times and this peaked Joshua's interest as he sat down at his desk staring out the window and his friend made another appearance. "Good morning Zoisite" Joshua said with a smile and this caught his friend off guard as Josh isn't usually THIS chipper! What happened to him?

"Good morning Joshua! Things seem to be going well for you I take it?" He asked and Josh nodded. Outside of the incident that he heard about the day had gone fairly well and his visit with Makoto lifted his spirits tenfold! When Joshua told him about this the Shitennou smiled before speaking again. "I see...so have you started remembering your friendship with Jupiter in the Moon Kingdom as well?" He asked with a smile and again Joshua asked for a minor explanation which his friend was happy to give of course

"Makoto or Princess Jupiter was the woman that you called your 'big sister' on the Moon. She was one that when you had issues that you went to first and foremost to talk them out. I remember a day when one of the guards was really irritating you because of some incident that happened in the castle and Jupiter walked up to the guard and told him to back off. That wasn't the first time she stuck up for you either. There was one incident between you and Venus that caused her to knock the Venusian Princess down to the shock of many." He told Josh and that particular incident reminded Josh of what Usagi and Makoto told him at school. When he told Zoisite about this he had to think about it before speaking again

"That was typical in those days because Venus and Jupiter were like oil and water. They didn't mix well and at a couple of functions I remember you deliberately had to stand between those two or there were going to be serious problems! There were those that didn't like Venus because of how she treated you at times and Jupiter was one of the few that wouldn't take her crap. One day if we meet the other Senshi I'll tell you of one other that you were good friends with." Zoi explained and when Josh heard "Other Senshi" he nearly pressed that issue but decided to tackle another subject.

"Tell me about Nephrite. What was his connection to Ami?" Josh asked and without a thought Zoi told the story. "Ah dear Nephrite. Here was a guy that was a hell of a fighter and would kill if anyone messed with someone he loved. There was a day when you had to go take care of something elsewhere and Mercury was on her own. Some unruly gentleman decided he was going to try and attack your sister and this got Nephrite PISSED! Had the guards not pulled Nephy off of the guy he would have killed him." Zoi told Josh and then had to ask the question in the back of his mind "What's on your mind Joshua?" he asked and Joshua just made the gesture to shut it and listen to across the hall. He did and when he heard Ami mention Nephrite that made him wonder if something was going either cause the bracelet to go away OR if her remembering her romance with the general was going to cause something ELSE to happen! That night while Joshua slept he had a dream about an event that was one of the happiest in his (past) life.

_Flashback_

It was a an absolutely gorgeous night out. Cloud had just finished a meeting with some of the guards on patrol when he spotted Jupiter coming out of her room for her nightly stroll. "Hey Jupiter!" Cloud beamed happily as he waved at his friend. "Good evening Cloud. You just get done your meeting?" She asked and he nodded. It seemed to work like clockwork where the two always met up around now but then again the running joke was she had a "sisterly intuition" when it came to the "Heavenly Warrior". Cloud looked up to Jupiter immensely and wished that a lot of people would follow her example on how to conduct themselves. Serenity was a good girl but the Moon Princess was at times a bit flaky and this worried people. Her mother at times would tell Cloud to keep an eye on her and he did as asked resorting to being her escort for certain functions that were boring...even for him and he could sit through damn near anything!

On this nite he didn't have that duty ,so he and Jupiter went for a walk out into the garden where Jupiter picked a beautiful blue rose for him and stuck it on his jacket pocket. He didn't know how she was able to grow those since they were more native to Mercury's kingdom but he didn't ask and was very much appreciative of what his big sister did for him.

"CLOUD-CHAN!" Mars called out before glomping him and giving him a kiss on the cheek. Yeah Mars was a little pistol back then you could say right? Anyways after she let him up(and somehow the flower survived) she decided to act a little more ladylike and see how her friend was doing. "Sorry but I couldn't resist. You all done your meeting?" She asked and Cloud nodded as the trio went for a little walk down to the lake.

"So what's on your mind Mars? Have any more issues with the foot soldiers you got?" Cloud asked and Mars shook her head before speaking. "I just wanted to see you again since I have some free time now. We've been so busy lately that I hardly got to talk to you with all the stuff we had to do with our troops ,engagements and whatnot. I was worried that we wouldn't get to see each other again." She told her heavenly boyfriend and he just smiled as Jupiter spoke.

"That's true we have been extra busy lately. I had to go to three functions last week that were back to back to back and I was exhausted. One had to deal with Venus and if it wasn't for Cloud I would have been held for treason or something." Jupiter told Mars and Cloud and they both knew of her problems with that girl. If the Queen hadn't summoned them to her chamber and had a good talk about it someone was going to end up dead and that was a known fact! The belief was that Venus was consistently jealous over the relationship between Cloud and Mars but no one could prove it cos she never said WHAT her problem was! All that was known was she was agitated a lot around those three.

_A week later..._

Why agree to do things you despise?

Alright dig it right: Cloud was in his quarters hanging out not bothering a soul when Nephrite and Zoisite came in. Now of all the Shitennou those were the two that were his friends. Jadeite was weird at times and Kunzite...hardly anyone liked him as it was!

Anyways Cloud was in his quarters and they came in telling him that the dance was going on. This was fine with him because everyone and their brother knew he didn't like to dance and would cut off a certain part of his anatomy than do that! The problem was they knew his weakness(well Zoisite did anyways) and he coaxed him into at least going down to the function. If it wasn't for the fact that the two were boys he would have chewed him out about this but he agreed to suffer through this.

So he went down to the function and hung out on the perimeter to avoid doing "that". All was well when he ran into Mars and she gave him the "puppy dog" eyes which got Cloud to go out there and handle his business. The irony of it was that he was a REALLY GOOD dancer! So good that during the time she was about to get him on the floor they were the centre of attention. As they finished the final dance Cloud caught himself leaning in to kiss the Princess from Mars fairly passionately(ok screw it it was a "Frenchie") and when they parted there were about 75 people with their jaws on the floor! When Cloud saw this he had but one thing to say to them...

"ALRIGHT SHOW'S OVER GET BACK TO HANDLING YOUR BUSINESS!"

Little did Cloud know that night would be the last night he saw Mars alive...

NEXT TIME...

So you now know the story about Mars and Cloud. Next time I'll tell you about Nephrite and Mercury :)

See you in the next Act!


	15. Mercury and Nephrite

Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon R

Act 15

_Flashback #2_

"MERCURY!"

The Ice Princess turned around to see whom called her when she saw Nephrite chasing after her. The brown-haired Shitennou ran up to Mercury practically out of breath which elicited a giggle from the blue-haired princess. It was no secret that Nephrite liked Mercury and just about everyone knew this. Mercury was never one to let romance interfere with her duties to the Princess and her brother which always caused groans from the court because in everyone's mind life was short and she needed to learn to live a little. Oddly for her though she found a way to dodge the subject of romance no matter what.

"Good evening Sir Nephrite. What can I do for you on this fine evening?" Mercury asked demurely as Nephrite caught his breath before speaking. "I...wanted...give me a minute" He said as he swallowed a breath and then spoke again. "I wanted to talk to you your Highness. Its been crazy lately with all the meetings and functions we've had to attend that I was wondering...what makes Mercury tick? What makes Mercury her demure ,sweet self that me and my colleagues know? I always wanted to know these things and never got the chance to ask you about them." He explained and Mercury stood and pondered these questions that her General asked. No one ever asked her these kinds of questions before well...save Cloud but no other person really knew the answers.

"I think part of it is the fact that I have a loving and caring brother. Cloud is someone that before we came to live in the Palace always took care of me in the absence of mom. He was protective sure but he did that because he cared about his family. I think also it doesn't hurt that he(Cloud) is a very compassionate man himself. He doesn't like to hurt people or wish ill on people. If you needed help he gave it without a second thought and did people take advantage of that? Occasionally but he never held it against them. Some people call it him being soft but I don't. I call it he was raised well by our mother and made sure I followed his example." Mercury explained to Nephrite and the General was very satisfied with her answers. It wasn't often that the Ice Princess opened up like that so when people treasured it for sure.

The conversation would go on like this for an hour or so when Mercury excused herself to go talk to Serenity about a matter. Nephrite understood and as they parted company he was quite envious of how pure she was. It was something he wished he could be but his job required fighting and that was something that he hoped Mercury never had to do.

The next day as Mercury left the Palace to head down to the skating rink she saw some of the common folk laughing and enjoying themselves. There were days when she wished she wasn't a Princess just so she could see what its like to do that one time. The good news for her was...she was about to get her wish!

"Here you go your Highness"

Mercury turned around and saw Nephrite standing there with a pair of ice skates. When she asked what was going on he told her that Serenity excused her for the day so that she didn't have to worry about her duties. When she asked whom was going in her place Nephrite explained that Cloud and Zoisite were already briefed on what was being discussed and they were heading down to tend to matters. Mercury didn't ask another question and put the skates on while watching her Captain get ready to take her out for the first time on the rink.

So how was the first time out? Not bad to be honest! Okay so Mercury fell once or twice but Nephrite was a complete gentleman and helped her up and helped teach her slowly but surely and before long she was at least doing the basic skating required. Mercury smiled as the blade of her skate made a perfect replica of her symbol on the ice. Everyone that watched saw this and was completely in awe at how quickly she started to pick it up...until she tried some fancy spin and nearly busted her $$! Nephrite caught her before she fell hard and walked her back to the rail where they had a good laugh at what happened and the man was quite happy to see his Princess having fun for a change!

_And then SHE showed up..._

No one would be able to tell you what she said ,did or whom she annoyed but every time Venus showed up there were people that treated her like she had some kind of plague! This honestly caught the Venusian Princess off guard again but it couldn't be helped she thought. Whatever happened was something she would figure out in due time but when she approached Nephrite she got a reaction she wasn't expecting but might as well have!

"What do YOU want Venus?" He asked and the way he said "YOU" made her realize the way the conversation was going to go. "Whoa Nephy what's wrong with you bud? I just came over here to see how you guys were doing is all." She explained but the General wasn't buying it. He had an allergy and it was to egos which Venus had a big one! She would never admit it publicly but she considered herself the "darling" of the Moon Kingdom and didn't ever hesitate to try and flaunt that status. What really pissed Nephrite off was the fact that he knew the Queen treated all members of her court equally and there were no so-called "darlings". Serenity even said herself that the day she favored any member of her court over another was the day she had to take a long hard look in the mirror! Mercury sensed the tension and tried her best to calm things down between the two.

"Venus I think it would be best if you came back later or if I spoke to you in private. Right now there are some serious issues that people have with you and we'll discuss them later okay?" Mercury asked trying to stop anything from happening that could damage the stability of the court as it was. Venus agreed and left not hiding the fact that she was genuinely hurt with the fact that everyone seemed to hate her. She knew she was a good person but for some reason when people saw her they saw an inflated ego that needed to be popped! It wasn't unusual for Venus to go for counsel with Cloud after getting reamed like that but he was away tending to the meeting that Mercury was supposed to go to. What could she do?

That night back in Mercury's quarter's the Princess sat on her bed with her General by her side wondering what to do about Venus. They had their discussion before she went back into her room and it didn't go well. Venus believed in her heart that people were vilifying her over nothing. When Mercury explained that she carried herself inappropriately for a Princess Venus nearly slapped her. Had Zoisite not come out of his chamber at the time the disagreement Mercury was fixing to get struck down and he wasn't going to tolerate that. It only got more out of hand when Nephrite gave her what for and told her to get out of his sight before something REALLY BAD happened! The problem with that threat was with Nephrite when it came to people like Mercury they weren't idle! He would have erased her existence himself from the Kingdom had cooler heads(and a LOOOOONG meeting with Cloud) not gone down!

"Nephrite...what are we going to do with Venus?" Mercury asked tearfully and Nephrite just pulled her close and held her while she cried. That was a chaotic scene that happened and even he was shocked with how reacted a little. He knew he could be protective of the Mercurian Princess but not like THAT! What was going on?

"Shhh Mercury its alright. Zoisite stopped her and your brother is going to discuss things with Serenity in the morning when he calms down. I never saw him as angry as he was when he heard about what happened but he loves you and we all know that. I know there have been times when he was a little TOO protective but you are his only sibling. If he DOESN'T protect you trust me Zoisite and I would personally get on his case about it. You're his family and as for me...well Cloud knows that I care about you a lot. I told him once that if we never had to worry about attacks from elsewhere I'd have proposed a long time ago because you mean that much to me...have I ever told you that?" Nephy asked and she shook her head no. It wasn't like Nephrite opened up all that much himself because ,like his friend Cloud, he was a fairly private person that didn't tell his business. It was something that dawned on him that Venus ALWAYS did and thought that maybe that was a reason for her "exile" of sorts.

As the night wore on Mercury fell asleep in Nephrite's arms after crying herself to sleep. He kissed the top of her head and laid her down before whispering good night in her ear and walking out of the room to a beaming Zoisite whom didn't taunt the General but rather thanked him for consoling the Princess. Nephrite told him it was the least he could do for himself and for Cloud. Cloud helped him out a lot and this was a form of repayment for all the times he stuck up for him and fixed his messes. Now it was time for him to return the favor.

Three days later everything went to hell...I think you know the rest!

End of Act 15

NEXT TIME...

So now you know the story of the relationships between Cloud/Mars and Nephrite/Mercury. In Act 16 we move one step closer to the confrontation with Mars but at the same time we got one step BACK!

Oh and for all the V-Chan fans out there that may not like the way that Venus is portrayed: This is her last mention till about Act 23 so get used to not hearing about her for a bit alrighty?

I'll see you soon

Joshua


	16. Artistry in Motion

Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon R

Act 16

_Mizuno Residence_

Joshua woke up to the sounds of birds chirping outside his bedroom window. Ordinarily this would annoy the everloving shit out of him but today was different. For the first time in weeks Joshua felt that it was going to be completely drama free outside of if there was any issues with droids in the area. As he got dressed to go to school he peeked out of his bedroom door and saw his sister getting her glasses before heading out of her room to grab breakfast before leaving for Juuban High.

When Joshua left his bedroom and got his cereal for breakfast Ami noticed a spring in his step that wasn't there the past few days! Was it because Minako was going to be out of town for a while on tour? Was it because he had figured out a plan to bring Mars back to their side...or was he just in a generally good mood for the day? The question was out there and that is what Ami asked...the answer was an interesting one for sure!

"I've got the chance to go do a recording for a song after I get done at school today!" Joshua exclaimed and that REALLY caught her off guard. Josh...going to record a song and at the studio that Minako uses no less? There had to be more to this story...right?

Ami wouldn't get to ask as it was time for them to leave for school and interestingly enough Josh wasn't asked by anyone about the rumor that he was approached to do a recording. Maybe it was because ,to him anyway, it was kind of a rumor/fact. He wanted to make sure that no one at the school knew that he was doing it because he's not that great in front of a crowd of people and he KNEW that Ami wouldn't spill even if she knew it to be fact! The good news was...no one did!

_Lunchtime/Juuban High_

Ah yes the time when the students were busy socializing and Josh noticed Ami sitting with Usagi and her friends for a change. Josh's interest got peaked when he heard Naru talking to Ami and Usagi about something. What he couldn't quite make out...

"So there is a big rumor going around that Minako's record label signed a new artist. The rumor is just that a rumor because there has been no airplay of a song that was recorded or a press release from the label in question...isn't that odd?" Naru asked her friend and she nodded as did the rest of the girls. Ami was starting to wonder if there was more to this than her brother had told her!

_After School_

"You all take it easy and do the homework I gave you tonight you hear?" Joshua hollered back to his students which got a big "HAI!" from them as he headed to the bus stop to go to the studio. He didn't LIKE hiding this but it was something he felt he needed to do to get his mind off of the distractions that were Venus and his girlfriend!

When Joshua got to the studio he met with the manager that arranged for everything and thanked him kindly. Before anyone asks NO this NOT Minako's manager! He dealt with him enough as is! Anyways before he entered the studio he went over the agreement that they had for when to release the single or even the information about him doing the recording. The manager told him there was no issues with it but did ask why the date in question and Joshua had an answer for him.

"Minako is supposed to come back from her North American tour around that time AND do her performance at the hospital right? I want to schedule one for the day after and see if I can't get her to do a duet with me." He explained calmly and the man smiled when he heard this! The reason was simple: He knew all about the beef those two had and also knew that Joshua didn't want it to linger much longer. Problem was trying to get her in the same room without coming to blows was always a hard thing to do because of the fact that Joshua can't stand arrogance. This was a quality that the manager was happy to see from an artist AND that he was a true professional in the studio! He secretly wished that Josh signed on for more than just the one album but at the same time he did have a regular job to do.

When Josh entered the studio he met with the producer for the album whom asked him the direction he was going with the sound and Josh told him that one song was a "special cover" and why. The producer absolutely loved the concept and made sure that he got the sound JUST RIGHT for the song. He understood the importance of the song to Joshua and when he entered the booth he banged it out within two takes! The producer on the other side of the glass was astounded at how he was vocally and lyrically but Josh shrugged that off as he knew ballads were his forte. This one just had special meaning for him is all.

They banged out the rest of the album in mere hours and Josh thanked the label for allowing him the time in the studio to do the project. He didn't think he would need to do it but that he was praying that it would all work out in the end!

As Joshua started to head home he got a call on his Cell from Ami-chan about an artist that was in the area and thought that they should check her out to make sure the Black Moon didn't start any trouble. Josh agreed and got the address from her before hanging up to call Luna and tell her the situation. Luna was half asleep but Josh told her that it was an important matter and they absolutely needed to try and be a solid unit for the sake of the planet! Minako wasn't around anymore and they needed to show some kind of solidarity or the Black Moon would pick them apart!

Ami was the first to get to the art gallery and Josh wasn't too far behind with Luna in tow. The gallery was a new place called "Passion Pictures" and just from the name Josh smelled a trap but decided to check it out with his sister. As they walked in to the building it was a bit unusual that a place like this would be open so late but then again make the artist in question was busy arranging stuff. With the way things had been going for the Senshi one couldn't be too sure anymore!

When the trio saw one of the painting and the placard Josh looked as if he saw a ghost! The name was "Kaiou Michiru"(yep THAT Michiru) and when he showed it to Luna she didn't quite understand the big deal so Josh calmly explained it in restrained glee. "Ms. Kaiou is a renowned artist and some of her paintings made it stateside. When I went to this one kids house for tutoring his parents had a beautiful painting that was signed in the lower right corner right about...HERE!" Joshua exclaimed as he found the famous signature and it was legit as the artist in question had literally just come out from the back when Joshua said "HERE"!

"Its nice to see that you appreciate such fine art." Michiru said as she extended her hand and Josh shook it firmly before speaking again. "Ms. Kaiou I have followed your career as an artist for a few years before I came here to Japan. You have such beautiful paintings that my auto-sketches pale in comparison." He told her as he released her hand and then realized that he forgot to do one thing: Introduce himself and his friends!

"Gomen Nasai" He started "My name is Joshua Curtis and I teach at Juuban Junior High. I'd like to introduce you to my sister Ami and my cousin Luna." Josh finished and the part about Luna being Joshua's "cousin" was a shock to Ami but Josh gave her that look to "go with it" and she agreed to as did Luna.

"The pleasure is all mine Mr. Curtis. I'm glad that I could meet a fan such as you. Traffic to this gallery has been rather slow lately and well no one seems to know why. Is the economy bad where you came from?" Michiru asked and Josh nodded and then put two and two together and figured out what she meant. It also was no secret that around the time that the Black Moon came the finances of the nation for the most part went in the toilet! While he didn't say it aloud he hoped that if they could defeat the Black Moon things would pick up again.

"Ms. Kaiou" Ami started but was cut off by Michiru "Please just call me Michiru sweetie. I have this fear that when people refer to me with the 'Ms.' suffix that it makes you age about 10 years." She told Ami and she complied. "Michiru" She started again "Have there been any strange incidents around here lately? Any attempted break ins or anything like that?" Ami asked and Michiru gave her a straight answer without blinking.

"As a matter of fact we just had one attempted break-in but the person wasn't able to do anything before the alarm sounded! It took a few hours for the cops to get here but everything was still as it should have been. Is something wrong?" Michiru asked and the trio shook their heads before thanking her for her time and she told them to stick around and check out some of the other paintings from the different artists and they took her up on her offer. To say that Joshua was blown away by the sheer number of paintings made him wonder why in the hell more people hadn't come to the place yet! As they walked around Ami got that eerie feeling that something was either already amidst or was about to be but she didn't tell Joshua as he was awestruck by one painting made by a local artist that depicted a scene out of a fairytale with a woman and a white-haired gentleman sitting at the park and the gentleman had a blue rose attached to his jacket pocket!

"Ah yes the 'Lovers by the lake' painting. That painting took the artist 3 years to get PERFECT! Supposedly the artist doesn't come around here because to try and explain the story was always hard for them. I'm surprised to be honest because its a visual masterpiece that is just priceless." Michiru told them and when Ami looked at the rose she remembered back in the days of the Moon Kingdom how Jupiter found the blue roses to stick on Cloud's coat pocket. Was this a portrait from the past or an image of the future?

Sadly they wouldn't get to answer this as a droid entered through the front window and Ami didn't have to think this time...

"DARK POWER MAKE UP!"

She transformed into her Dark Mercury form and then Luna and Joshua went accordingly afterwards and they did their best to not make it a brawl in the place. Problem was you couldn't tell the droids to stay away from the walls but interestingly enough NONE of the art got damaged in the fight! Somehow they managed to avoid that disaster as it spilled out into the streets and sidewalk.

"That was clever but now you pay!" Dark Mercury screamed as she took her sword and deliberately missed the jewel in the throat at the same time Sailor Moon and Jupiter showed up and the Mercurian duo let them have their fun and watched as Jupiter went for her Thunderbolt and Moon the "Twilight Flash" and defeated the droid. Mercury glanced over at Michiru and made sure to shake her hand one more time and introducing herself before she disappeared into the night. Michiru told her that someday they might meet again and if so she hopes she got to work with her like this. It would definitely be a fun experience. DM nodded and bowed graciously to Jupiter and Moon before making the grand escape into the night with her brother and Luna. No Mars sighting tonight but that didn't mean they could let up either. Something was about to go down big and Cloud had a feeling sooner or later Mars had to face them face to face!

NEXT TIME...

Ami: Josh is in the hospital?

Usagi: He said he's visiting a friend that got hurt but we won't know for sure.

Ami: Should we follow him?

See you in Act 17


	17. Winds of Change

Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon R

Act 17

"CURTIS-SENSEI!"

This was the first time that Joshua really heard that honorific used when someone called to him. About only way someone did that was if it was a student that he didn't talk to a lot and that was the case in this instance.

Naru Osaka ,Usagi's best friend and confidant, had just gotten out of school and saw Joshua walking down the ramp when she called out to him. Joshua slowed up to let the young Osaka catch up so that she could catch her breath before he addressed her. "You're pretty athletic for someone not on the school track team. You ever thought about trying out?" Josh asked with the straightest face that he could and Naru just playfully slapped him on the shoulder as they continued to walk towards the exit.

"Nah Sensei. We have our athletic girls like Mako-chan for that. She said she was going to try for the girls basketball team when she got some free time. What do you think about that?" Naru asked and Josh stopped to think about that idea. It was true that Mako was damn athletic...heck in her fights against the droids she ended up being arguably more athletic than Venus but he also knew that she loved cooking so...

"She is good Naru but I think she likes to devote her attention to another hobby she has...You ever have her cooking?" Josh asked and Naru shook her head no. Josh made a promise to make sure he got some takeaway from the next time he went to have dinner over Mako-chan's so that she could sample some. As the two parted company Josh decided first to stop at home and get changed before swinging over to the CROWN and rocking out some with whomever was there.

_CROWN Karaoke_

Well...wasn't this a switch!

Not that someone was deciding to have a go at singing on the microphone...that was starting to become commonplace. No this time when Joshua entered he got to hear the voice of...LUNA? What's more she was good...DAMN GOOD!

"Well isn't this a pleasant surprise Luna? Since when did you know how to sing?" He asked wonder just how his favorite feline learned to do that. "Around the same time I learned to walk on two legs Curtis-san...why was it bad?" She asked wondering if she wanted to know the answer. "Nah sweetie it was really good! I'm surprised you don't do it more often but if you are anything like myself ,Ami or...you know who then I can understand why." Josh explained careful not to say Mars' name. He already had a tough enough time resisting the urge to go find Dimande and throttle him but trying to forget her then and even now was still a tough task.

"Believe it or not Josh Luna has been doing this the past couple of trips here. We were just as surprised to hear her sing but she is really good." Makoto explained and Josh agreed. He knew a good voice when it came music and Luna had one. He secretly wondered if he could get her to help him when the time came to try and reverse the brainwashing Mars was under but didn't want to bring it up at this time.

Josh took his turn on the microphone but switched up the song that he did and this time the song was called "Smile Bomb" which really caught the girls off guard but at the same time were listening intently to their friend. While Joshua didn't claim to be an exhibitionist he was someone that enjoyed a good song and that one just called to him for some reason. When the song ended and Josh handed the mike off to his sister she tried her hand at a song from a British girl group called "Call the Shots" and Josh fell out of his chair because that was a favorite of his when he lived in the states...how did she know THAT?

As the group left the HQ Josh got a phone call that something happened at the hospital and he had to go there immediately. He clicked the phone shut ,said a quick goodbye to Mako-chan and then ran like hell to the hospital where the receptionist gave him the room number and his pass. What in the heck was going on?

_Room 315_

Josh had spent the better part of 45 minutes talking to doctor's about what had happened and from what he gathered Minako's condition that was supposedly in remission had come back. Why they called HIM and not her manager was the puzzling bit and something that bothered him as he entered the room. When he got in there the only things present were Minako and a white cat he never talked to before.

"Hello Joshua" The cat said in greeting and Joshua bowed politely as the cat introduced himself. "My name is Artemis. I am the Guardian of Minako and I was the one who called you." Artemis explained and Josh was still puzzled as he spoke. "Why me Artemis? You know that Minako and I don't get along. Couldn't you call her manager or one of the other Senshi?" Joshua asked and Artemis grimly shook his head before speaking again.

"These were Minako's orders Joshua. I agreed to do it because I know in your heart you don't hate Minako do you?" He asked and Josh knew he didn't hate Minako but he didn't appreciate her arrogance and he explained that to the guardian cat. "My problem Artemis is famous/rich people feel they can look down on people and just be snobs. I've never liked those people and its very hard for someone like me to respect them. I think if anything you can understand that...right?" Joshua asked hesitantly and Artemis understood from where the Warrior was coming from. Minako did have an ego to her and at times it could get in the way but Artemis had to try and find another way to approach the subject.

"I know you Joshua. You have a good heart and its always in the right place. You forgive people when they need it and you scold them when they deserve it. Minako told me to summon you here because the fear is that she might not last much longer and she wants to reconcile with you. Her issue has never been with you just the fact that your sister..."

"Is helping the Senshi now. I know all about this my friend and trust me if we didn't need Ami to reawaken her dark side I wouldn't have done it. What I want you to understand is that I am the only one that is allowed to give her the orders in battle. She won't listen to anyone else per the agreement that I made with Kunzite." Josh explained solemnly because he knew that if he was seriously injured DM would lose her mind on the people that did it! Maybe that's what the Senshi needed though...maybe they need her to go crazy and attack the Black Moon and get revenge for what they are making Mars do? No...what was he THINKING?

The conversation ended in a civil manner as Joshua took a walk over to Minako's bed and took her hand giving a gentle squeeze before turning and leaving the room. Did the talk work? Was Joshua starting to soften his stance on Minako? Only time would tell that was for sure!

The next day was more of the same except Makoto made a little too much food for Joshua to eat and Josh called Naru over to try some of the Bentou set that he had for lunch. She tried the egg roll that he had and her eyes lit up like a Christmas tree! Josh couldn't help but wink at Mako-chan while his friend enjoyed the rest of the lunch. When school ended Joshua and Naru took a walk to a high school where the track team was practicing and there Joshua saw this sandy blonde girl smoking the rest of the girls! He remembered doing some track back home and he was decent but holy crap this girl was something extraordinary that when he saw one of the other observing students he had to get the lowdown on whom the girl was.

"You never heard of Haruka Ten'ou? She's only one of the more accomplished track stars in the country and she's also good at auto racing!" The girl exclaimed with hearts in her eyes and Josh just looked at her like she had an extra head! Factually Josh knew of the girls accomplishments as an F1 racer but not her prowess on the track. Josh was so astonished that he had to see if he could challenge the girl to a race sometime and the coach seemed shocked!

"You really wanna test that? Haruka has been known to leave anyone that challenges her in her dust by 10 seconds or more! I don't think its a good idea myself." The coach told Joshua but Haruka saw something in the young man's bravado that she decided to interject. "I think this young man could keep up well against me coach. What's your name sir?" Haruka asked and Josh introduced himself proper and the name instantly rang a bell with her.

"Get him a uniform and I'll see him on the track in a few minutes." Haruka told the equipment manager whom did as she said and Josh went and got changed in the men's locker room and stretched a bit before walking out to the track to the start line. "Alright this is going to be a 100 yard mass...I mean dash. First to cross the line is the winner. On your mark ,get set...GO!" The coach called as he fired the pistol and Haruka was godsmacked when she saw the teacher keeping up with her and passing her just a bit as they neared the finish line to the point where Haruka actually tried to lunge for the finish and it didn't work! Josh beat her by a fingernail and after the race helped her up and raised her hand in victory. She might not have won but Haruka felt a sense of pride in this defeat as it was to someone that she called her "equal" to the coach. The coach was even shocked when he saw how close the times were at the end...who was this kid again?

"Well" Josh said as he caught his breath "that was quite fun. I might have to come do that again sometime!" he exclaimed and both the coach and Haruka nodded in agreement as he went and got changed out of his track outfit and showered before saying his goodbyes to everyone and Naru was shocked at what her teacher accomplished. NO ONE had beaten Haruka in a match race! This man was something special for sure!

As Joshua parted company with Naru and headed home he got a call from Ami that she was going to be at Alto later than normal and he nodded before hanging the phone up and going back to the hospital and room 315

When Joshua entered the hospital he got his visitor's pass and didn't so much as hold a conversation with Minako as he just watched the IV drip. It was the eeriest thing he ever saw because all she did was sleep. He never felt this much concern before but just seeing her there sleeping made him have to hope and pray that she would wake up so that they could possibly have a productive meeting. As was the same the night prior he walked up to her bed and gently squeezed the hand not hooked to the IV drip and quietly walked out of the room. This got Artemis' attention and again he silently prayed that Joshua was changing his opinion of the girl.

The next day at school when the class was outside for recess he text the hospital to see if Minako's condition had improved and didn't hear from them for most of the day under about 2:45 when during a lecture he looked down and saw the message and a lump caught in his throat which he was able to swallow back until he paged Haruna to get down there and continue the lecture. This is when things got interesting. First Josh got there at almost warp speed but that wasn't the interesting bit. The interesting bit was that when Josh got there Minako's manager was there being restrained but that didn't matter as much as getting to the room to see what the hell was going on!

In the room Joshua noticed a bunch of doctors around her bed asking her questions and Artemis was outside the room waiting for Joshua. When he heard the news again he fought back the lump in his throat and just patted his lap so that Artemis could sit there for a bit. He needed someone to talk to even if it was a cat!

"What's the story man?" Josh asked worried that the news wasn't going to be good and it wasn't. Minako's blood pressure dropped and her pulse was weak. This tore Josh up on the inside but he refused to show it to anyone. He just hoped hat he would be permitted to stay the night at the hospital with her in case something else happened!

And this got the attention of Ami...

"Josh is in the hospital?" Ami asked and Luna nodded but explained that HE was okay. He was there because Minako had recently been admitted and her condition was worse than previously thought. Ami was shocked to hear that her brother was there and in the room across the hall Zoisite hoped against hope this was the beginning of a proper reconciliation between the two.

Back at the hospital and Joshua got the permission of the doctors to stay with Minako overnight. He just had to go home and grab some things but he came right back without explaining EVERYTHING to Ami but enough that she got what was going on. When he got back he got the cot out and stayed on the other side of the room so that when doctor's came in they didn't have to trip over him or anything. When Minako woke up at about 3:15 in the morning and saw Joshua sleeping it puzzled her a bit but at the same time she had to smile. It was the beginning of a long road for both of them. For her recovery and Joshua to truly start to be a friend to her and not an enemy!

Next morning Joshua woke up and got dressed before bowing politely to Artemis and giving him the specific order to NOT let the manager in there. Artemis agreed and when Joshua left he gently closed the door. Minako was getting better and the healing between those two was slowly starting!

End of Act 17


	18. Near Miss

Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon R

Act 18

_72 Hours later_

"ICE SWORD CHARGE!"

Yep...she went a little nuts!

That was the yell of the "Dark One" or as Cloud just referred to her now "Mercury" driving her sword through the heart of one of the latest droids that had attacked at a skating complex not far from one of the big arcades in the city. The interesting bit was it was broad daylight when it happened and her and Cloud were the only ones there! Not like they needed the rest of the team because this one was cake compared to the last couple. It was a job well done for sure!

On the way home Joshua noticed Natsumi and Seijuro waiting by the front door of the house. It wasn't clear as to why but Ami decided it was best to find out exactly before jumping to conclusions. "What's up guys?" Ami asked as they reached the front door of the house. "Oh hello Ami-chan" Seijuro said as he rubbed the back of his head "we were just out for a walk and decided to see how our Sensei and the class genius lived." He told the duo and Josh cautiously took him at his word. Artemis had been telling Joshua during the meetings at the hospital to keep an eye on the alien duo and he agreed that they should and that he would. As he let them in he gave Ami a hand signal that only she recognized to keep an eye on them.

When all parties got into the house Josh checked the erase board and noticed a note from his mother about the night shift and that Minako's condition had started to improve since he started visiting. Josh smiled at the last bit before turning his attention back to the duo of Seijuo and Natsumi. "All right first before we get started I wanted to apologize for my behaviour a while back with what happened to Ami. You have to understand that she is a very important member of my family and if something were to happen to her I think I'd completely freak out ya know?" Josh asked and they both dismissed it as they understood completely about his situation. They told him that their situation since coming to Earth had been very much similar since they were chased there. Joshua wanted to pursue that subject but the fact that the UFO hadn't budged since they came was all the answer he needed.

The rest of the discussion was about what their purpose was for being there outside of them being stuck and they told the truth. They explained that the Black Moon Clan was partly responsible for the destruction of their planet and almost all life on it. If they hadn't escaped when they did they might not have been able to have the discussion with Joshua that they were. They also said that they were grateful that they could help Joshua occasionally when needed in battle because they had a common enemy and they also understood Joshua's predicament with Mars working for the Black Moon and that being his girlfriend. Josh took them for his word and was grateful for their backup. Ami was still a little cautious but agreed that they were eternally grateful and if they needed any help not to be afraid to ask to which they happily accepted the offer.

When the duo left Josh felt a little easier about things when he headed for his nightly discussion with Zoisite about matters. During this discussion Josh told him that the time when he would go to get his body back was in fact coming closer and closer than even he realized. He also told him that he had been in contact with the doctors at the hospital and Minako was feeling a lot better and not just physically but about the fact that Joshua was starting to warm up to her a little bit. He did tell him that during the most recent discussion with the idol that she felt "DM's influence" was starting to leave him but she also knew he was loyal to his sister and that explained why he defended her as strongly as he did. When Zoisite heard this he was torn: On one hand he was happy that the two were getting closer but on the other was he totally forgetting about getting Mars back? Zoi had to word his statement carefully on this one.

"Josh" He began "what would be the chance that you would leave Mars for Venus? I know you are loyal to people and you don't like leaving their side but what would happen if Minako got you to leave Mars for her?" He asked and Josh was both taken aback by the question but at the same time intrigued. What WOULD he do if they couldn't get Mars back? Could he leave a girl he has loved since a time long since gone for another woman? This would take some soul searching and he told Zoisite as such before heading to bed.

The next day Josh headed straight for the CROWN after school. He wanted to see if he could get a jump on the stage before anyone else did and luckily for him he was lucky on this day! He placed his suitcase down on the table and made his song selection and started belting out the tune. Little did he realize however that the girls were hiding in his little space listening to his performance and being utterly amazed at the emotion he put into the song he was performing("Sakura Fubuki"). It was one of his more passionate renditions since Mars went to the "Dark Side" and when he finished he got a rousing ovation from the rest of the girils that came out of the hiding spot! It was so good in fact that when they all took their seats at the table they asked for an encore and oddly...he was happy to give one!

After the performance the second time Usagi was almost in tears! She knew that the song was Rei's and it was Joshua's way of still trying to communicate with her no matter if she WAS evil or not. This told the "Odangoed One" one thing: They needed to find a way to get Rei back at all costs!

Their first chance would come within 48 hours and when they were going to battle Usagi made sure to bring a microphone with her. Why? Well the answer was going to come in one of the most unusual moments anyone could ever think of!

But first...a small flashback!

_FLASHBACK_

"You want me to what?" Josh exclaimed incredulously. Usagi had just come up with the suggestion to Joshua that he start singing that song in battle to try and lure Mars out of hiding. Josh though she was absolutely mad but this idea had more support than he realized.

"What could it hurt Joshua? We know you want Mars back as do we and you'll go through almost any means to do it right? Why not try it and see if it has any lasting effects?" Makoto asked and Josh damn near fainted! Makoto couldn't POSSIBLY be serious about this...could she?

When the mini meeting broke Ami walked behind Joshua and handed him the microphone that he used there. As she went to leave she said one thing to her elder brother to give him something to think about.

"You know how you said we needed Mercury right? Well I think we'll need your voice to try and get your girlfriend back!" Ami told her brother as she walked up the stairs and out of the room. Ami wasn't honestly SERIOUS about this...was she?

After Joshua left the facility he went to have a mini powwow with Artemis and Minako about what the rest of the Senshi were asking him to do. Artemis told him that he should only do it when he felt the time was right and when he felt that time came to see about doing it at their "Home Court" which upon further clarification was the Hospital that they were in right then and there! Joshua agreed with this idea and left the building with his plan in mind but when to execute it was a whole other story!

_END FLASHBACK_

The group this time was back at the construction site where the battle with the Phantoms took place. Diamande had Emurade plant one of her Dark Energy statues there and that worried them. This meant that all hell was about to break loose again and to make matters worse...Mars showed herself during the skrimish!

To say that this battle wasn't a bloodbath would be a total lie. The droid was a tough son of a gun and oh yeah Mars was kicking nearly everyone's $$ outside of Mercury and Cloud whom were doing fine fend her off while helping out with the enemy they were facing. During the battle Cloud hit a kick right under Mars' jaw that knocked her back up against the fence and then impulsively Cloud started humming! HE knew what he was humming and when the rest of the girls caught on they started as well and it made the enemy weaken and Mars started getting a headache. This told Joshua it was working but he wouldn't get to know the results because a blast knocked him back about 50 feet which Mercury felt as well!

The blast ,which came from Rubeus, was enough of a drain on Cloud to get him to back off but the rest of the girls kept fighting as did Mercury and they destroyed the enemy that was laid there before them. They tried to get back to Mars but unfortunately Rubeus and Diamande were able to get her out of dodge this time. Cloud knew he missed his chance here but he also knew that in the back of his mind the endgame that he had planned with Artemis was coming. Would Minako be a willing partner in all of this? For the sake of everyone he hoped that she would be and that there would be NO other interruptions!

End of Act 18


	19. Mistress wears a red fuku

Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon R

Act 19

"What? Curtis-Sensei is a singer?"

"SHHH" Came the voice of one girl in the classroom. "He's not too keen on a lot of people knowing that he can. He's kind of self-conscious about that." The other girl replied as they sat at their desks waiting for their Sensei to emerge through the doors. He was a little later than usual but it was only his first time and truthfully if he was as they thought then possibly he was elsewhere doing a track for a CD or something.

A few minutes later and Joshua walked through the door much to the applause of at least two of the classmates which got Curtis' attention but he let it slide this time. As he did attendance Ami wondered to herself what exactly the reason for Josh's lateness was but thought better of it when her name was called for roll. This was going to be a fun day for the class and even more so for the teacher that had to TEACH said class!

The good news was as the day went on there wasn't anything out of the ordinary that occurred in class. Well...the two students from earlier had a banner up that read "Curtis' fan club" that he didn't see even when the class giggled a little but he paid it no mind. During lunch he DID get a phone call from Artemis as to an update on Minako's condition and he was thrilled to hear that she was steadily improving and that she might be able to make her scheduled appearance for the kids in a few weeks. Josh was tickled pink when he heard this news but didn't tell anyone in the class so that they could focus on their work...he did tell Haruna which turned out to be one of the bigger mistakes he ever made!

"Minako's been in the hospital? How come you don't tell me these things?" She asked and Josh just facepalmed. Sakurda Haruna a.k.a. "Craziest Teacher in all of Juuban Junior High" at your service! "Ms. Haruna the reason I didn't tell you is because this is how you get when it comes to situations like this. Do me a favor and DON'T spill this to anyone in the school. We don't need any distractions when it comes to their studies...okay?" He asked and she kept to her word and didn't tell anyone about it. Josh was eternally thankful but there was a condition he had to meet for her keeping her trap shut about it!

"There is a school assembly in a few days. The original idea was to make it just a simple 'Here's what the fundraiser is' kind of thing but the school board wants some kind of performance for this one. We would have asked Minako but she's in the hospital so..." She trailed off and Joshua immediately got the hint.

"FINE!" He exclaimed in defeat. He hated singing in public as much as Rei did but if this was the price he had to pay for Haruna to keep her beak shut then it was the LEAST he could do but as he told her it was only going to be one song and done. That was fine with her as long as he did one she'd leave him be.

_A few days later..._

This was the day Joshua dreaded because he HAD to sing today and worse it was at a school assembly! At least if this were a live concert there would be people that he didn't know but in front of the entire Junior High...SHEESH!

"Today students we have a bit of a treat for this assembly" Haruna started "I was able to get one of our teachers to perform a song for us for this one time only. Mr. Curtis would you come up here on the stage?" Haruna asked and Josh complied much to the delight of the crowd. He pulled a fast one though and made sure the song he did wasn't his girlfriend's! No for the assembly he actually performed "Yakusoku" which surprised a lot of people but delighted everyone! His philosophy on the matter: If I have to embarrass myself in front of the school then I'm going to play by my rules and that is exactly what he did!

When he left the school somehow he didn't get mobbed by the students and for that he was thankful. The better news was that when he got to the hospital it was ,for lack of a better term, dead! He went through his usual ritual of checking in at the receptionist but they told him that because he was a "regular" to just go on ahead to the room. He thanked the woman and made his way to the room that Minako was in and she was awake for a change!

_Room 315_

"Well hello sleeping beauty! You feeling any better?" Josh asked with a pleasant smile on his face as he took a seat next to the bed. "Hello Curtis-san and yes I am feeling better. The doctors told me I'd be able to make my next performance at the rate I'm going." She told him and Josh couldn't help but smile. He was happy to see Minako at least awake and talking to him for a change rather than him coming in and her being asleep all the time. Things were looking up for her definitely.

"Did you hear that I had been asked to record a CD?" He asked and she nodded. The Execs at the label told her they wished they could have signed him long term but he was steadfast against it which upset her a little. "Why did you turn down the contract they were going to offer you Joshua? I heard that you have a beautiful voice and when you sang what they called 'Your Track' you had so much passion in it that they think I could learn something from it." She told him and he just blushed before speaking. "Nah Minako you're good. You are 10 times better than I could be or ever HOPE to be. I just am doing this one for the team actually. My hope is the one particular track will help us get Mars back soon." Josh told Minako whom frowned slightly at the mention of her name.

"Would you rather I have mentioned 'Mercury'?" Josh asked and Mina damn near hid under the sheets at the name until she realized one thing: he DIDN'T say "Dark Mercury"! What WAS going on with her anyways? "Mercury has mastered the bracelet in such a manner that she can literally flip her personas on and off like a light switch. This was noticed when we met Michiru back at the 'Passion' art studio where she was very formal to Michiru but when she fights she is a very deadly Senshi that fights to protect us now. Usagi started noticing the change and even Makoto was impressed. I think if you give her a chance when you see her again you won't have any issues with her." Josh told Minako and she just quietly nodded. Josh knew it was a touchy subject but wouldn't go into it any further. When it was time for him to say goodbye he saluted her and bowed before leaving. Had Mercury really changed that much since she was in the hospital?

The next few days were interesting without battles. There WERE meetings at the CROWN and Joshua partook in some training that Luna had setup special for him. Interestingly enough for him he caught on and aced the training she had for him but she laughed cos the result ,according to her, was expected! "Nothing short of excellent for the 'Heavenly Warrior'!" Luna beamed and Josh just smiled and bowed at his friend. Josh was known to be an excellent Warrior for the Queen and this just proved it! Just how many talents did Josh have anyways?

"Luna that training seemed MUCH easier for him than ours was!" Usagi exclaimed and Luna just shrugged. It was a known fact in the Kingdom that Cloud was very much a student and anything short of perfection was a failure for him. Luna explained this to Usagi whom then started to finally grasp just what kind of person their Warrior was. Makoto enjoyed having a male member of the team and Ami was just glad that the Black Moon didn't get HIM out of the lot! It sucked that they got Rei but if they had HIM...they might as well have given up or at least that is what Ami silently thought.

The day ended and Josh retired to his quarters in the HQ for a night. He wanted to see if he could replicate the bracelet's properties that Ami had in case ,God for Bid, they needed two wicked sons of bitches on the block! Try as he might before he left the HQ for the night he didn't get the right properties and thus couldn't make the bracelet.

Next day at school was interesting when he read that they were getting a former transfer student back in the school. They didn't know WHEN she was coming but the fact remained that it was on Josh's radar and in this person's case that's NOT where you wanted to be! As the day went on Joshua decided to do the research on this girl and what he found out was she was a bit of a troublemaker. Usagi had been known to get in trouble sure but this girl had a rap sheet taller than him! Apparently after reading this girl's list of "issues" he mentally made a note to put all his issues with Minako behind him for when this girl showed up. That was going to be FUUUUUNNNN!

That day in the HQ Josh brought up the fact that there was going to be a former transfer coming back and Usagi shuddered at the term "former transfer" because she had an idea whom it was. Josh didn't press the issue but did warn that this could potentially make their mission harder than it already was. The needed to get rid of the Black Moon AND free Mars from their control. If this girl showed up during that time they were going to have serious problems! Apparently Usagi didn't seem to think so...

"Sensei she was only causing trouble because a lot of the students fell for her tricks. You are one of the truly levelheaded people in the school so if she pulls her crap I'm sure you'd see through it right?" Usagi asked and Joshua nodded while warning for her to not rely on just him. Ami and Makoto are also in that class which gave him an idea for when the girl came BUT...he wasn't about to reveal it yet!

Next morning and Josh kept waiting to see when this girl was supposed to come but she didn't show so it wasn't that day. He went about his class with one student being told to stand out in the hall because of the fact they told Josh to sing. Some felt the punishment was harsh but he REALLY wasn't in the mood to do that.

On the way home Usagi got buzzed by Luna that there was a monster terrorizing a big time mansion about 5 city blocks away. Josh suggested the bus but around that time a bright yellow Ferrari showed up and Josh recognized the driver without blinking. "Going my way sir?" Haruka asked and Josh told the girls to get in immediately. They didn't ask questions and Haruka slammed the car right around and floored it and after Joshua and friends got the equilibrium back they thanked Haruka kindly and then got to work

"MERCURY POWER..."

"JUPITER POWER..."

"MOON PRISIM POWER..."

"MAKE UP!"

The three girls all transformed at the same time and as they did Joshua was still amazed at what he saw before him every time. It was always an interesting sight to see but then it was his turn...

"WARRIOR POWER!"

And in one of the rare moments all the girls got to see Joshua enter his Warrior form with Makoto's jaw smacking the concrete at least once! Why I dunno you'd have to ask her but anyways...

The three girls and Cloud entered the mansion and at first the sheer size of it was intimidating enough but factor in that there was at least a droid in that building terrorizing someone was even worse! The girls made their way down the hall when Joshua recognized the symbols on some of the doors but didn't think anymore about it except that there was a dog in that house that had some "urges" occasionally...no one said a thing!

The first floor checked out and then Cloud looked over the railing on the top floor and saw the target they were looking for and saw one woman dressed in red about to fall over the balcony and he made sure to catch her before heading up to attack the thing! Take a guess who else was up there! You got it!

"So I am stuck in a mansion with masks on doors and now I got to deal with a droid and YOU again...my day is just getting better and better!" Cloud exclaimed as he looked at priority one in the droid and made sure that they DIDN'T injure Mars! This was going to be tricky all things considered like oh...she's EVIL!

The fight against the droid wasn't easy considering they had to dodge Mars' attacks AND try to whack the creature. If it wasn't for the fact that Tuxedo Kamen(what you thought I forgot about him) and the fact that Ami "flipped the switch" they would have been there awhile before Moon could ENTERTAIN the thought of polishing off the droid!

And then...it was down to her!

Cloud started singing "Sakura Fubuki" and it had even MORE of an effect on her than last time! The headache that she got from before intensified and if it wasn't for Rubeus showing up at the last second they would have had her! Instead he teleported her out with him and swore to get revenge for this. Cloud told him outright that the next time they see him will be at the "Scene of the Crime" on the UFO! He then also said in one of the more demonic tones ever

"Say your prayers Rubeus...next time I see you there will be no saviour waiting!"

The group left and the woman thanked him for his help to which he told her it was no trouble at all. He asked the woman her name and she told him "Mai..Mai Kanazuki. What's yours good sir?" and he just told her "Cloud" before leaving and silently making the declaration that the war...IS ON!

End of Act 19


	20. Warrior's Pride

A/N: In the last Act there was a character that some of you may or may not be aware of. The name Mai Kanazuki was the name of a character from the series G-Taste. There is a SLIGHT chance that by the end of this story you'll end up seeing her again but only I know that for certain ;)

Take care and happy reading

Joshua a.k.a. ShootingStar147

Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon R

Act 20

"You had to go WHERE?"

"Yeah I know it seems strange but when a droid is wrecking shit there's not a whole lot we can do about that." Josh explained and Makoto backed him up on it. When Joshua told her what he knew about the place she was utterly Godsmacked! What in the hell would Rubeus have wanted with that place?

"All things being considered it IS a nice place...Mai can be a little twisted with her discipline from my research on the woman but what are you gonna do?" Ami explained from the notes Josh had pulled from his computer before the meeting. Luna just nodded and when she asked if there was any progress with the plan to get Mars back Josh nodded happily.

"We have her on the run. Its only a matter of time before we can get her back but for that...I'm going to need someone's help that I've been talking to a lot as of late." Josh explained and when they asked whom it was Josh held up one finger before going into the rest area and getting Artemis to come out. The girls were plenty shocked to see the white guardian cat and wondered if it meant what they thought.

"Joshua is in talks with Minako to help him out with getting Mars back. He has told me his plan and it seems to have been working so far. We need to drive the point home and in order to do that Minako has to get better soon for her performance and then the day after Josh wants her to help him out. I don't foresee any issues but we'll have to wait and see what Minako wants to do." Artemis explained and they were excited at the prospect of getting their friend back soon. It was just going to be a little longer and hopefully they would get Mars to completely snap out of it!

A few days later and Josh went to the hospital to check on Minako whom smiled at her regular visitor as he entered the room. The good news was that she was able to get up and move around now without problems but doctors told her that she needed a few more days to a week to be fully healed. This was actually fell perfectly for Joshua because she would get out in time for not only her concert but also the performance that he was doing the day after!

"Artemis tells me you've been working hard with the Senshi to fight off the Black Moon. How's that going for ya with Mercury?" Minako asked and Josh told her of the progress they have been making. He also told her that soon he was going to go up into the UFO...alone to take on Rubeus himself. Minako didn't like that idea at all!

"That's a suicide mission Joshua. You realize the possibilities of you not only beating him but making it out alive are slim to none right?" Minako asked and Josh just nodded. He knew that Minako was right but he also knew that if he DIDN'T do this he had no chance of moving a step closer to getting the Fire Senshi back!

The days moved eerily slower than normal as the ominous UFO loomed over the city and Ail and En wondered what their friend was thinking about. A lot was on the line for him personally: Killing Rubeus, Getting his girlfriend back and moving a step closer to helping Ail and En get off the planet if they so desired. He was going to have to pull all the stops out if he was to defeat the leader of the Black Moon!

And then...the day came!

Joshua took a walk through the city and met at a predetermined spot with the UFO. His mission was a "simple" one: Defeat Rubeus to get to Diamande. The agreement was that he would face the leader on a platform suspended in the limbo that was the UFO. It was a fight to the death and by any means necessary. Just how Joshua liked it!

_Inside the UFO_

It was quiet...too quiet for Joshua's liking. This told him that something was amidst and he didn't like it. He had left his phone back at his home because he was told to come alone and that is what he had done. He was about to leave when he heard a voice come from nowhere.

"I'm glad to see you made it"

That voice belonged to the red-headed stepchild known as Rubeus. The minute Josh saw him he immediately transformed and the fight was on! No need for pleasantries as they pretty much knew each other and that meant they could just get down to business!

The fight started off fairly tame with neither man getting an upper hand and no bloodshed at the point. Rubeus thought he was going to get an early victory by staggering Cloud back towards the edge of the platform but he got his bearings and managed to maintain traction on the platform and the fight wore on. Cloud struck a good blow on Rubeus' shoulder. This wounded the leader and Cloud tried to press the advantage but Rubeus swept his leg out from under him and the thud that could be heard sounded almost like the thud that caused Mars' injury! The good news: It wasn't his head...just his shoulder!

Now we got Cloud with one good arm trying to fight off Rubeus. This doesn't sound promising...does it? Rubeus didn't think so either and tried to drive a dark energy blade through Cloud's heart when Cloud appeared to blackout! Rubeus thought that he had won and turned to leave the platform but little did he realize what was ACTUALLY happening!

_In the Generals quarters..._

"SHIT!"

"What's wrong Nephrite?" Jadeite asked and the pained expression on his comrades face told him all he needed to know. When Kunzite entered and heard the news they knew they needed to do something but the question was..."WHAT?"

_Mizuno Residence_

The sound of Cloud smacking the platform on the UFO caused a reaction in the rock and Zoisite's spirit floated towards the UFO. His friend was hurt and needed the help of the Shitennou to get through this the only way he could: By unleashing his power on that no good prick!

_Back in the UFO..._

"Cloud...get up Cloud!"

Rubeus was completely oblivious to the sounds in the ship and was walking back towards his exit when he heard the clatter of a sword digging into the platform one more time! Cloud was up and he was PISSED!

"WE AIN'T DONE YET!" He yelled and when Rubeus heard this he charged right at him but Cloud was in a Zen like state that few people had seen him and in harmony with Kunzite's ghost mimicked the General's sword swing where an energy blast struck Rubeus and that was just the prelude to his miserable end...

"Now Cloud...use the power your sister has for this one fight!"

Cloud nodded and Rubeus looked horrified when he heard the following come out of the young Warrior's mouth:

"DARK...

...POWER!"

Rubeus looked mortified when he saw the metamorphosis of the Warrior he fought into the demonic form that stood before him. Rubeus tried to fight back but this guy was too quick for him. Mars showed up just in time to watch Rubeus not get knocked off the platform...no that would have been too good for him! Instead Cloud took that sword and drove it right through the black heart of the man that caused him a lot of grief. The sinister smile that flashed across his face for that split second gave Mars pause to do ANYTHING! All she could do was watch as Cloud directed Zoisite up to the chamber where his body was being held. Zoisite did as directed and after his reunion with his flesh and bone bowed to Joshua before taking his leave with the rest of the Shitennou!

_Elsewhere in the UFO..._

"Rubeus is dead"

"It would appear so Prince."

"Oh well...his usefulness outlasted itself longer than we thought it would. We still have Mars though don't we?"

"We do...but why are you so concerned about her?

"Because our Heavenly friend has gotten resourceful and I wonder how long its going to be before she reverts."

"Want me to kill her now then?"

"No...wait until the time is right and then do it right in front of him! I want to see just how much he truly loves the girl first."

End of Act 20

NEXT TIME...

Rubeus is dead which means the hold that the Black Moon had on Mars is severely weakened. What other plans do the Black Moon have up their sleeve to stop the reunion of "Heaven and Hell"? Will Kuroki show herself finally?

Find out in Act 21 of Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon R!


	21. Heaven and Hell's Reunion

Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon R

Act 21

A few days had gone by since the battle in the UFO and Joshua sat at the table where the Senshi would gather staring blankly at the wall. He had done the one thing that he never thought he would have done: He took an individual's life in battle. Sure he wasn't given too much of a choice. It was either him or Rubeus but still! Cloud never showed his dark side to ANYONE before! What would happen if he had to do it again? Would he readily accept it OR would he leave the Senshi and abandon his sister? Ah moral dilemmas...how bad do they absolutely SUCK!

The good news for him was that one of his "moral compasses" had just entered the room in Kino Makoto. She always told him straight out how she felt about things and today was no different when she heard about what happened from Usagi. "You did the right thing Joshua. She told him flatly "You accepted a fight where the winner was the person that lived. What could you have done to prevent it?" She asked and Joshua smiled a little at his "big sister"'s logic. It WAS the right thing to do under the circumstances given. What was more amazing was the fact that for one day Nephrite and the Shitennou were unified in helping him defeat the Black Moon! Was it inevitable that Joshua had to give in to his "Dark Side" too OR was it someone else that was going to get to show theirs soon for the benefit of the team? THAT was going to be an interesting question for sure.

As Makoto took her seat at the table consoling the man she called her "younger brother" the rest of the team came down and Ami was the first to speak. "So its true...you were once an apprentice to Kunzite...right brother?" The girl genius asked and Josh just nodded. Even though Ami wasn't necessarily scolding him he knew that tone and it wasn't something he needed at the moment. He had some other things to think about like helping to get Rei-chan back now that Rubeus was dead. The team knew this and watched as he went into his room with Luna following close behind.

"Ami-chan" Makoto started "I think you were a little cold to him don't you?" The brunette asked and Ami nodded. Sometimes even the greatest minds can say things in a manner they didn't mean. Ami made it a point to apologize to her brother when she got him alone. As it stood Zoisite was back with the Shitennou so he didn't really have anyone to talk to outside of her and that was because he lived with her. Makoto realized this and decided the best thing for Joshua was simple: Not to focus on fighting with the Senshi but to work on his song for the concert in a weeks time!

_Inside Joshua's room_

"You did well Joshua." Luna said in a complimentary tone. Josh half-smiled at his friend's remark but it still bothered him a bit. He KILLED someone! He did something that his sister DIDN'T do as "Dark Mercury" when she fought against the Senshi and in a moment of...whatever he KILLED a person! How in the hell was he supposed to feel?

"I'll be fine Luna" He started snapping out of his funk "I just need a few days away from combat to be able to get right for the big day coming up. First Minako is going to do her first performance in a long time and the day after..." He trailed off in a kind of excited tone. THAT was the person Luna wanted to see!

"There you go Josh!" Luna exclaimed almost giddy "Focus on the mission YOU have right now and we'll do the rest with the Black Moon. As long as you still have Rei on your mind you are going to need to focus on winning her back from them and bringing her back to our side. I think no...I KNOW you can do it Curtis-san!" Luna exclaimed in praise and then took her normal spot behind Joshua's chair and kissed him on the cheek before waving and walking out of the door.

Luna Tuskino: Perfect House Pet and GREAT motivational speaker if you need her :)

Alright back to the story...

The next few days went as the Senshi and Joshua planned: The Senshi worked on fighting off Dimande and Emurade on their own(and this DID include the services of Mercury) while Joshua worked on his music in either the HQ or at the studio that Minako recorded to just say "hell with it" and get away from being a Senshi for awhile. The reason Joshua hung out at the studio was to do what he called "Perfect the Perfected". He was a true perfectionist with his music and made sure that the song he was going to perform for the "one time only" at the hospital was spot on perfect BUT there was just one thing missing in his mind...

"Hey I have a question guys" Josh said from the booth after he finished the latest take "Do you think this track would work with Minako's vocals on it?" He asked and they all thought it was a brilliant idea but there was the one issue that they all knew about: Minako was still recovering in the hospital.

"The idea sounds great Curtis-san!" The manager exclaimed and but also explained what he already knew and Josh understood perfectly the situation at hand. They did make an agreement amongst themselves to see if she would be okay with recording it with Joshua after she got out and this gave Joshua an even BIGGER idea: Why not record it LIVE!

As the days drew closer to Minako's release from the hospital Joshua made sure not to act too out of the ordinary when he visited his new friend...problem was on this particular day that bastard manager that Joshua hated was there so he made a detour to Saeko's office!

[KNOCK KNOCK]

"Come in!" Saeko said and when she saw her son walk in to the office she had a smile on her face that an Atomic Bomb couldn't get rid of! It wasn't often that Joshua visited his mother's office but when he did it was always a treat. "Hey mom how's things been going around here? I know you've had the late shift but other than that anything up?" Joshua asked and she just shook her head and Josh knew that things were all rosy then.

"What can I do for you today Joshua?" Saeko asked and Joshua explained his situation of needing to talk to Minako but there was a certain...jackass he needed to get rid of(he used stronger verbiage but we are trying to stay "T" here). Saeko told him that she would handle it and for him to wait there. He did as told and when she came back she was smiling ear to ear! Why? Well apparently Minako was tired of hearing from that man and was hoping Josh would stop by. He thanked his mother and onto the room he went

_Room 315_

"What's good gang?" Josh asked Artemis and Minako as he set foot in the room. Artemis leaped off the table he was sitting on and climbed on Joshua's shoulder immediately. While they already knew the reason for his visit they were just happy to see him because...well her manager was getting damn annoying to say the least!

"Looks like someone missed you Curtis-san." Minako said as she sat on the side of the bed while holding onto the table in front of her. Joshua watched carefully to make sure that she didn't do anything to potentially hurt herself since her recovery was going along nicely.

"Cats have like a magnet for me I guess Minako and I love me some cats so its fine with me." Joshua said as he pet his new friend on his shoulder with Artemis purring contently. Minako knew that her friend didn't just come for a pleasure visit though and did ask him about the purpose for his trip at which point Josh put on his "BUSTED!" face and Minako wondered why.

"I was at the studio doing some work like I've been doing lately to keep my mind off of...some bad stuff I felt like I did and I had this crazy idea..." Josh said but was cutoff by Minako in the process. "I heard about it from the label Joshua and I can't promise you anything but if I'm feeling up to it I will definitely do the performance with you." She told Joshua and when he looked at Artemis he was smiling. He knew Minako well and if she was determined to do something she did it. That is what made them alike more than anything in that neither wanted to settle for second place and it was something that Joshua valued in a comrade and a friend. THAT is what Minako had become to him now more than anything!

As the days went by Joshua went through his ritual of either working in the studio or practicing in the HQ with Makoto and Luna as an audience. Either way you sliced it Joshua was starting to get in his "other element" and in an odd way the Senshi needed this! They needed their Warrior to not have anymore doubts about what he did and to be able just "do him" as Minako put it. Joshua applied this logic to his practice and the performances got more and more passionate from the "Heavenly Warrior"! Luna called it "The exact opposite" of when Rei used to sing it!

When the day came for Minako to get out of the hospital Josh hatched a plan to get her out without any issues. That was the one thing that she asked him to do the day that she was to leave the hospital and he did it to a tee WITHOUT acting like a pretentious dick! When he got her out and escorted her to her limo she thanked him kindly and told him to "Be ready for the performance of a lifetime". He THOUGHT she was talking about herself...oh was he WRONG!

When Minako held her performance at the Hospital Joshua asked for the girls to come watch it. None of them put up a fuss about it and as they watched her perform "Romance" Joshua couldn't help but nod his head to the music and the vocals. He knew his girlfriend had some damn good pipes but he never realized how good Minako was! Damn tomorrow was going to be a fun day if it worked out!

That night Joshua was pacing in his room like he had a "significant other" expecting and Ami understood why: For the first time in Joshua's life he had to overcome a bout of stage fright to try and overcome. Performances in front of the 2-3 people was one thing but, much like Rei-chan, he wasn't used to having to do this! In his mind this was his one chance to get his girlfriend back!

_The Next Day/Hospital Courtyard_

This was the day that Joshua had feared but at the same time was genuinely looking forward to! This day was his shot to try and break the spell cast on Mars by Rubeus and the Black Moon. Joshua worried about two things:

Mars wouldn't show

Minako would stand him up

Gut check time...what would happen?

The song started and Joshua walked out dressed in a black suit with a white shirt and red tie. This was about the only other condition Minako had that Joshua would have to "dress up" a little and he had no issue with that. It was something he did a lot anyways!

To try and gather himself(and buy Minako some time) Joshua introduced himself and explained that it was his first time ever singing in front of a crowd of people before(okay it was his second but they didn't have to know that right?) and he hoped that everyone enjoyed the performance he was about to put on. Somehow as the song started Minako popped up on stage next to him and whispered in his ear "Let's do this!" right as the music cue came for Joshua to start the song.

To say the crowd was electric was an understatement! The crowd(which had been sitting during the intro) was standing and clapping during the whole song and Joshua looked in the back and saw what he wanted...MARS HAD SHOWN UP! Seeing this Joshua continued the song as a path cleared between him and Mars as if it was just the two of them there and factually...it was! Why? Well let's just say Josh had some "Special Security" that he wasn't aware of at the time!

You see the Black Moon was hip to the game that was being played and tried their best to get in. Here was the problem: The Shitennou heard about the performance through a flier that Joshua sent them and they made DAMN SURE that it went off without a hitch! It also didn't hurt that the rest of the Senshi were there helping them clear the droids and the vermin from the premises either! Diamande realized he was outmatched on this day and fled while the performance that "nearly brought rain" was finishing up and at the end of the song the most incredible thing happened: Heaven and Hell reunited and they sealed it...with a kiss!

MARS AND CLOUD WERE BACK TOGETHER!

End of Act 21

(NOTE: The "Heaven and Hell" reference solely means that Joshua is the "Heavenly Warrior" and Mars...well my nickname for her through the Sailor Moon Universe was always "Hell's Senshi" so I think it kind of fit)


	22. Return to Normalcy

Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon R

Act 22

Oh what a day!

Now judging by that statement one would think it was a "bad" day right? Far from it actually!

The aftermath from the concert was that it was hard as hell for Josh to get IN the school to do his job! That happens when one of the local radio stations in Tokyo broadcasts the performance and damn near everyone stops to see it! The original belief was that everyone that watched it would be interested in the big time idol but Minako did a hell of a job promoting Joshua as the star. The problem came was when you have to try and get in the school to do your JOB...things get a little hectic!

Did things calm down a bit when Josh got IN the school? Yes and no. Yes it calmed down during class but it sure as hell didn't whenever it was Lunch or the end of the day! About the only saving grace for Joshua was that when the day ended he could sneak out the back of the school to get a clear run for the ramp to go home. Somehow that worked and when he got back on the walkway after avoiding the crush of people whom do you think he saw...

"HINO-SAN!" Joshua called out and when Rei looked over her shoulder she saw her dear friend and boyfriend come jogging up behind her. This was the first time in MONTHS that he had the chance to be able to talk with her and for this she was grateful.

"Hey Curtis-Sensei!" Rei exclaimed before giving her boyfriend a kiss on the cheek and then continuing "How was school today?" she asked with a great interest. "Outside of nearly getting MOBBED today...same day as usual." Josh told the fiery priestess and she just smiled. She knew that with Joshua's performance there were going to be occasions where he had to pull an old trick or two to avoid the crush of people. The part that sucked is it might of inadvertently made the rest of the team think he was avoiding them and that was SO not what he wanted!

"How was the first day back at school for ya? Anymore girls mess with ya?" Josh asked and Rei just shook her head no. She told him that people had started to become a bit more understanding since he last taught there and that she hadn't had to deal with that many knuckleheads. Josh was eternally grateful with this revelation and couldn't help but give Rei one of the biggest hugs his strength could muster! Rei couldn't help but feel that warm feeling that she missed while a member of the Black Moon Clan. It was a moment that she treasured even when Joshua broke the embrace to walk her home like a "normal person".

_Hikawa Shrine_

It had been a few hours since the couple returned to Rei's home and Joshua just stood and watched from a distance his girlfriend do what she knew how to do and that was go into a complete trance and just block out everything else around her! Hell Joshua could have dropped a bomb and she wouldn't have flinched! THAT was why he loved her so much and why he went to her for spiritual healing when needed. God knew he was going to need it after the hell he and the rest of the girls went through in the time that Mars was on the "Dark Side". On the way home they DID discuss the fact that Mercury helped the Senshi as "Dark Mercury" or as she is known now just simply "Mercury" and Rei was just happy that it was his sister HELPING them and not hurting them anymore. Josh agreed and they both still pleasantly had walked back to the Shrine.

_Later that night..._

Joshua was exhausted by the time he got home and plopped down on his bed. About now is the time when he usually would talk to Zoisite but with him reunited with his comrades in the Shitennou that wasn't happening anymore! He WAS happy that Zoi was with his team though because he knew that as long as the Shitennou were around he wasn't worrying about much!

As Joshua got ready for bed Ami came in to see how he was and how things went with Rei. He told her about how Mercury helped the Senshi overcome Rubeus and about Zoisite going back to his comrades and she didn't mind. Ami was happy in some ways to be just "Mercury". Not "evil" but not "good" either. She helps the Senshi with the aid of her brother and Rei's boyfriend. The interesting bit here was that Rei said she didn't mind Ami being able to do as she wanted. She was used to that by now with Minako so Ami was no different with the exception that that was Josh's sister. One could only imagine what would happen if Minako and Rei got in the same room and the subject of Joshua came up!

_Why do I ask those questions!_

Two days had passed and the gang decided to have a bit of a celebration at the HQ for Rei's return(Rei had protested but Usagi promised she wouldn't have to sing and she agreed). The party was actually not bad and the gang had an absolute ball! The only time there were any issues were when Minako "latched" onto Joshua's arm and tried to talk him into coming to the hotel with her for the night. Rei being Rei didn't take too kindly to this idea and asked her as NICELY AS POSSIBLE at first for her to get off of her boyfriend's arm. Minako did ,albeit hesitantly, and then the two proceeded into one of those childish "tongue wars" that he thought people outgrew when they got to be in Junior [BLEEP] HIGH!

After observing this for several minutes(and getting a slight headache in the process) Joshua put Rei in his room and told Minako to have a seat and he would deal with both of them individually. Rei would be first and THEN Minako!

"You can't let her get you like that sweetie. She wants you to act that way." Josh told his girlfriend and Rei let that absorb before making her response. "I know that but did you see the way she was looking at you?" I know that you two are friends and that you visited her in the hospital while she was sick but what the hell? Can't she find her own beau?" Rei asked and Josh understood where she was coming from completely but at the same time he had to make one thing perfectly clear to Hino-kun...

"Rei look at me" Josh commanded and she did as ordered "You and you alone are my girlfriend. I loved you back in the Moon Kingdom and I love you now! When you were captured I was in a funk for a good time before I found my spirit again and even after that when I killed Rubeus I didn't know how I'd be. All I kept saying to myself was 'I'm doing this for Mars. I'm doing this for Mars. I'm doing this for Mars' and when I had to get up on stage to do the one thing I'm hated doing for YOU I knew that I loved you more than almost any other person in the world outside of my mother and my two sisters in the Senshi. I DO care about Minako but we established that we were just friends. You understand that right?" Joshua asked and Rei nodded an affirmative and smiled happily before hugging Joshua again and this time openly crying into his shirt. Joshua didn't care about the shirt but the fact that he got that reaction from Rei told him one thing: They were meant to be together!

Sadly the feel good ended there when he had to bring Minako in but this time he had Luna come in so that he didn't accidentally do something he didn't want to. Before Joshua said word one Minako understood the situation already and promised not to drive a wedge between those two and made a promise to talk it over with Rei at some point down the line. She honestly didn't know how deep the love was between the two and didn't want to strain that relationship. They repaired two other relationships in the course of this battle with the Black Moon and didn't want to have to do any more damage control. Minako agreed to still help the Senshi but she would not interfere with Ami or Rei anymore. Those were two of his close confidants and the last thing she wanted was Josh pissed at her again!

Two days later and Joshua was asked to sub at T*A again! Why? Well partly because the sister that was to teach the class was sick but the other reason was...well they wanted him to perform his song at the assembly that day!

_LIFE SUCKS!_

Anyways when it came time for the assembly and Joshua performed the song the entire auditorium got up and was singing along with the track that Joshua performed. It was another one of those performances/reactions that if it had been outside would have brought the rain because it was hard to hear yourself think! When Joshua finished the song the school day ended and mercifully he didn't get mobbed when trying to leave the school. Apparently Catholic schoolgirls have a bit more sense than others!

When Joshua left the school he bowed to the Sisters and thanked them for the chance to sub again even though he could have done without the performance! They told him that the album that his song was on had been selling like crazy all over Japan and worldwide to the point where Minako wanted to have him assist her at her concerts more often. Joshua promised that the assembly was his last public performance ever and Rei just smiled that all too knowing smile that told him otherwise!

As night fell over the Shrine Joshua kissed his girlfriend goodnight as he was about to leave. Rei grabbed his hand at the last second and shook her head no and this confused Joshua for a second before realizing what she wanted and he complied...

End of Act 22

NEXT TIME...

Joshua: Alright class today we have a transfer to our school. According to her some of you already know her

Usagi: Oh...

Makoto: Not her again!

Luna T: Next time on Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon R: "The evil idol returns: Mio Kuroki's resurrection"!


	23. The Return of Mio Kuroki

Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon R

Act 23

Another day and another fun time!

Joshua had just gotten to the school when Sakurda ran up to him and told him about the new student that had transferred. Joshua asked immediately if it was a girl named Mio Kuroki and when Haruna nodded the first thing he did was facepalm. He had heard about the problems that girl caused in the school before and her return meant a shit ton more were inevitable! Oh well what were you gonna do?

As Joshua entered the classroom he saw Mio sitting attentively at the front of the class and Josh gave her a look that if it could have killed her she was dead where she sat! Joshua explained that he didn't play favorites regardless of social status or relationship. If anyone saw Mio causing any problems they were to report her immediately to him and then he would take the necessary actions. Everyone agreed and Usagi knew one thing was certain: Joshua wasn't going to take Mio's shit!

By lunchtime everything was as it should have been. None of the students messed with Mio and Mio, for the most part, stayed out of the way and did her work. She tried talking to Joshua at one point during class but Josh wasn't going to hear any of it and ordered her to sit down before she was sent to the principal. She did as told and Josh didn't hear a thing from her for the rest of the day.

When the day ended and Joshua left the school with Ami and Makoto the first thing they discussed was Mio's return. Josh got the lowdown from Ami about her being bested twice over and that one would think people would learn to not try anything again. One student Joshua was worried about in that school was Naru-chan especially after hearing a horror story about her being manipulated by Mio at one point! Josh had to think of some way to defeat Kuroki before she could start trouble again in that school and even if she did they needed a way to upgrade the power of at least one Senshi temporarily to get the point home with Mio. This was going to take time however and Joshua knew what he was going to have to do when the time came but here was the question: Could he be that past nuts to pull the trick twice?

That night at home Joshua found a minidisc player on his desk and he was more than positive it didn't come from Luna! This would be confirmed when Joshua put the earbuds in and heard the music of his famed pianist friend Zoisite! On a funny sidenote: Whenever Joshua puts the earbuds in Joshua always mimics the hand movements of his friend as if they were in the same room playing the piano together. Just something I thought I'd mention and something that Ami noticed starting the first night that he got the player.

Speaking of the Shitennou...

"So Beryl's shadow returned one more time!" Nephrite exclaimed before pounding his fist into the desk that his other two comrades were sitting at. "It would appear so Nephrite but the good news is Joshua seems to be hip to her game from what his Earthling teacher told him. We shouldn't have to worry too much about her as long as she minds herself." Jadeite explained and the red headed Captain just nodded. He almost had an idea as to whom was pulling the strings this time and wondered what to do if it came down to ultimately destroying her. What could they pull that the Black Moon WOULDN'T expect?

"Watch out Nephrite's got something brewing!" Kunzite exclaimed and it wasn't too clear as to whether he was saying it to be derisive or what. Zoisite happened to hear this conversation and took a break from his piano to come and see what all the fuss was about. "Nephrite has an idea? Tell me this one was better than when he decided to try and put super glue on my bench." Zoi remarked and Nephrite would have gotten up off his chair to haul off on the eccentric one but thought better of it because of the friendship he had with Ami's brother. Josh was the LAST person you wanted mad...just ask Rubeus about that!

"What if we did something so unexpected that it caught both the Senshi AND the Black Moon off guard? It'd be risky because I don't know how that certain people would react to it but what if one of us worked in conjunction with Joshua to perfect it?" Jadeite explained and everyone looked at him like he was nuts! Either he had an idea that was going to hit a home run or make for one of the most [BLEEP]ed moments ever! One thing was for sure...it was going to be interesting if the time came to pull it off!

_Two days later/Juuban High_

You know how Mio minded her business two days ago right? Well Joshua saw through about 3 layers of bullcrap and on this day she was sent down to the principal to explain why Natsumi was knocked to the floor! The claim that the idol made was that Natsumi said something to her about her being a fake or phony and when Joshua asked Natsumi if she did she told him no and her brother Seijuro backed her on it. Josh not only sent Mio to the Principal but personally escorted her himself to make sure she didn't bolt. Things only got more jacked up when the Principal bought the story that Mio didn't do anything wrong DESPITE Joshua seeing EVERYTHING! It was a moment that Joshua had to wonder if the Principal was nuts or if it was him but brought Natsumi down anyways. After the dust settled both girls were told to stay away from each other and if EITHER was brought down to the office again they were getting suspended!

That day at the HQ Josh actually brought Seijuro and Natsumi with him to have a discussion with the Senshi about what happened. When Rei heard about this it sounded just like what happened before with that no good pest! Chibi Usa asked who Mio Kuroki was and Joshua explained it as "She was a stuck up idol that used her fame to get herself out of problems that she started". That explanation was good enough for Chibi as they continued their discussion.

"The principal made it clear that if I have to take either girl down to his office they were going to be suspended...problem with that is that if Mio gets sent down she'll say it was 'Nats'(Josh's nickname for Natsumi) and I already know who will get suspended!" Josh exclaimed as he popped two Tylenol and listened for any input from the rest of the girls.

"This is bad in another sense because she is also Minako's rival. She's been trying to defeat Minako as the '#1 Idol' every time and I don't think this time will be any different." Rei explained and that made Joshua have to stop and think about something else along with his duties as a teacher and a Warrior. Just how much stuff COULD he handle before he wore out?

"We also still have to deal with Dimande. He's still looming in the distance and if we beat him the Black Moon is defeated and then Ail and En can go home right?" Usagi asked and she wasn't trying to be rude about it but it was a fact that the alien duo wasn't allowed to leave because the Black Moon still existed. Seijuro thought about this and just nodded silently. If the Senshi could defeat the Black Moon they would get to go and find a new home. It was an interesting proposition but how easy was it going to be?

Sadly...not that easy!

The next few days were filled with some of the toughest fights EVER for the Senshi as they fought droid after droid and it took the combined efforts of the Senshi, Tuxedo Kamen AND Ail and En to defeat them! Dimande wasn't screwing around anymore with the kids. He wanted to destroy the Guardians of the future city to be able to make it is own! Cloud realized this after being helped up after one fight with Jupiter and Mars helping him up. When he looked around at the environment thankfully there was no real structural damage as Cloud steadied himself and walked around to shake off the effects of one of the blasts from the most recent skirmish.

"So that's what getting run over by a truck feels like huh?" He asked half jokingly and En looked at him with concern as he was favoring the back of his neck from when he got knocked into a lamppost earlier in the fight. "In your case Cloud it looks like it backed up and ran you over again too." En said solemnly and Cloud didn't argue about it. He just nodded gingerly as Mars stood next to her boyfriend and was just glad that he was okay. This could have been a lot worse if the duo didn't help them and En told Sailor Moon they were in it for the long haul. If the Senshi needed them not to be afraid to ask for their help and everyone was glad to hear this. It was nice to have some new allies but were there more on the way...

_Back at the Shitennou HQ_

"So what's this idea you got cooking?" Jadeite asked Nephrite as he went over the original schematics of a certain object. "I'm trying to figure out a way to make this one more time. The only catch is its not going to have any dark energy in it so I think we might need some help from a 'different source' this time." Nephrite explained and this really got Jadeite thinking. Its an item that doesn't use dark energy like Mercury's bracelet and they were going to need help from someone a 'different source'. This was going to be an interesting trip to get this just right!

_Next Day at the CROWN_...

"Moshi Moshi" Luna said as she answered her cell phone. She knew it couldn't be Usagi OR Joshua so whom could it be?

"Luna Tuskino...we need your assitance!"

[CLICK!]

"What the..." was all the girl got out when she turned around and saw that big black void in the HQ. What were the Shitennou planning and how much did she really wanna know?

End of Act 23


	24. The Mercurian Family Story

Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon R

Act 24

"You rang?"

This was the question that was posed by Luna as she entered the dungeon that the Shitennou lived in. To say she felt uneasy about this would be an understatemnt and furthermore what would she do when she found out what exactly they wanted?

"Good evening Luna-chan." Zoisite said as he bowed politely. Luna knew that Joshua communicated with the eccentric Captain so she decided to return the greeting. "Good evening Zoisite. How are you feeling after your recovery?" She asked trying to keep the somewhat pleasant vibe going. "Not too bad my friend. Watching Nephrite and Jadeite trying to get some device ready for when its needed. Apparently they found out that there's a woman that will be of great use to the Senshi outside of Dark Mercury and her brother." Zoisite explained in a manner designed to NOT alarm his friend. The problem is...it did kind of the opposite!

"Wait Zoi...are you trying to tell me that there's one more that we don't know about? That can't be because we were a part of the Queen's court and I don't remember anyone else assisting." Luna said worriedly and this feeling wasn't ignored by the other generals. "Relax Luna we aren't looking to recruit for ourselves but rather help our friend Joshua out. You know that Mio was resurrected once more...right?" Nephrite asked and Luna nodded. She wasn't about to argue with a man that loved Ami more than life itself and would die for her. She walked over to the table and saw the notepad that Jadeite and Zoisite were working on and tried to make heads or tails of it as she asked more about this "other Guardian".

"Think back to when we all lived in peace and harmony on the Moon together Luna. Cloud and Mercury were the children of the Queen and she was a very kind woman. You didn't want to cross her but she was more known for being a kind and gentle woman. I know because when she attended my recitals and saw that I was nervous as all hell she'd go in the back and give me a pep talk. Her son, Warrior Cloud, was born of the same cloth and is one reason we ,the Shitennou, will NEVER raise our blade against him! Kunzite knows of the loyalty that Cloud had and did what he could to protect her when the time came to fight against us. Queen Mercury was someone that when you fought her you got on your knees and PRAYED that she was in a good mood...or else!" Zoisite exclaimed and Luna gave it a ponder and tried to remember what exactly life was like with the Mercurian Queen!

_FLASHBACK_

"CLOUD...MERCURY! TIME FOR DINNER?"

Ah the voice of the "Ice Queen" or more specifically Queen Mercury! The Queen was a very gentle woman as opposed to one member of the Serenity's court whom laid the hammer down harshly a lot of the time. She was arguably the most loyal member of the court and the one that the lunar mother and daughter trusted more than anyone!

Today was a special day for the Queen. You see her son was officially finishing up his training to become a Warrior and her daughter was going to a ball for Serenity! Cloud would have gone had he not been busy with his training but at the same time he had a promise to fulfill to his mother and he intended to keep it.

That night while the Princess was at the ball Cloud was in the throne room with his mother and his trusted friend in Zoisite. The topic had come up about what to do if Princess Mercury were to have to fend off an attack from an outsider. The Queen told him that Zoisite and he would take care of it but if need be the Princess could and would do her duty to protect the planet and Serenity.

A few days later and Cloud officially was a Warrior under his sister and Mother's watch. Zoisite was very much pleased because he knew that Cloud was the kind of person that you didn't want to get mad at you. He fought guards over stupid issues in the past and it took 3-4 guards to get him calmed down before they could put him back in his room and out of harm's way. Was he still protective of his mother and sister? Damn straight and he wasn't afraid to be colorful about it when he needed to be. There was a good reason that his mother and sister put him in the training and that was why!

When the Queen was out on Royal business Cloud was left in charge of things. This was the plan by the two and Cloud because of the fact that there were people in their army that weren't sound and they needed a swift kick up the ass. The fortunate thing for them was that Cloud was that person and they trusted and respected his word.

On the day of the attack the "Ice Queen" made it known that she wasn't to be messed with and was a very good reinforcement for the rest of the fleet. When everyone got defeated however and Cloud stood between his slain mother and sister he knew how Kunzite felt when they were defeated. The ONLY reason he survived for as long as he did was because of an event that no one else knew about but at the same time it isn't important to the story...not yet at least!

END FLASHBACK

"So you want me to make Joshua's mother remember those painful memories?" Luna asked worriedly. She knew that if Joshua found out what Nephrite wanted to do he wouldn't be happy about it. Saeko was an innocent and if at all possible Luna wanted to keep innocents out of their problems!

"Mio is still around...correct?" Kunzite asked and Luna swallowed hard before nodding "With her around and no doubt causing havoc again we need to get the Senshi more backup and seeing as to how close she is with her son and daughter she'd work out fine. Its not like when Ami worked for us because we aren't doing that again. I did that twice now to Ami and I honestly felt bad about it. Zoisite told me it was a bad idea but we had to to get Mars back for you and THAT was accomplished! Now with Mio around you need more help than ever." Kunzite told Luna and she just nodded and continued pouring over the notes that were left on the table

_Mizuno Residence_

"Mom's not coming home again till late hmm?" Joshua asked and his sister just nodded. It was common practice for their mother to work the late shift but at the same time he wished that they could eat dinner together and be a regular family. Ami already resented her father because of the divorce they went through and she didn't want to start resenting her mother either. Sure she had her falling out with her about when Saeko wanted her to transfer to another school but they worked through that. THIS problem was something that could REALLY tear the family apart in his mind and there was just one person to call for something like this...

_Makoto's Apartment_

[RING RING!]

"Coming!" Came the voice of the brunette as she raced for the cordless phone in her apartment "Moshi Moshi!" Makoto exclaimed as she answered the phone. "Hey sis its me Josh. How's things going at your place?" Josh asked in as formal a manner as possible and Mako just smiled before forming a reply. "Everything's good here bro. Just making some dinner and then probably going to get a bath before heading for the sack. You?" Mako asked and when Josh told her of the situation he felt like he was facing at home Mako inwardly kicked herself for asking! Her "little brother" was having problems that she never really had to deal with and this was one time she REALLY felt sympathetic for someone.

"I understand completely how you're feeling about this situation bro but at the same time you have to be strong for yourself and for Ami. I know the reason you came back to Japan is because you wanted to reunite with your mother and sister and for that you should be commended. Ami wanted you to come back and to be honest I've never seen her so happy. While she still runs circles around all of us in school when you're around its like no one needs to be serious. Hell Rei started allowing herself to become more emotionally vulnerable since she met you. Do you realize all the positive things that have happened and will continue to happen as long as you and Ami are together? Usagi told me she was jealous of YOU because of the relationship you have with Ami cos God knows that its not like that with her and Shingo!" Makoto told her friend and Joshua perked up immediately. This was the kick in the proverbial ass that he needed to get going again.

"Thanks Makoto. I'll talk to you tomorrow no?" Joshua asked and she just nodded on the other end as they terminated their phone call

_The next day_...

Josh entered the classroom early and went over what he was going to teach the class for the day while Ami studied her notes. This was a commonplace theme when Joshua didn't have to sub over at T*A and whenever they were in the building usually nothing BAD happened!

That is...unless SHE was in attendance...

Don't ask why but whenever Mio walked into the classroom she always had a target on her back and not just from certain students like Naru-chan(whom Joshua appointed "Class Officer") or Ami-chan. Those two along with Seijuro and Natsumi became his own personal "Great Four" as it were for the class. Mio's stuff wasn't going to fly anymore and she knew it...the problem for everyone else was she was hip to it and would try her best to outwit them!

Now if you were to ask did it ever work? Rarely and the reason was because of whom he put in charge. Naru was no idiot(despite her average grades Naru was a lot smarter than given cred for by a lot of people) ,Ami was self-explanatory and Seijuro and Natsumi earned his trust when they started helping out in battle. He knew they if he was alone and just had them for support he was solid so he trusted their input on sitauttions.

That day after school Joshua got a call from Minako about how the duet that they did was ready for production if they needed to release it. Joshua told her to keep it on ice until Mio tried to strike then they would just crush her like a bug that way and then really start to get under her skin. Minako was smiling on the other end when she heard this because she knew Joshua's motto in life sometimes went like this:

"Don't get mad...GET EVEN!"

Three days later and Mio released a remaster of one of her singles to try and get noticed again. It worked...for like 45 seconds but it DID work as the song was in heavy rotation on the radio and this was when Joshua took "drastic measures"! Well okay they weren't "drastic" but when Haruka pulled up to the school and heard the racket that was Mio's music Josh asked if they could make a stop at the record label and Haruka didn't need to ask why either! Josh got in the Ferrari and they sped off to the label and got a few copies of the single to hand out...okay so it was about 2 boxes but they weren't counting at the time!

The single wasn't supposed to be released for a few more days but Joshua sent a bunch of the singles to the record stores and then of course the radio stations whom HAPPILY put it in the rotation! One station manager said they were getting threats that if they played Mio's "ear rape" again they were going to get their license revoked! Josh just laughed and happily handed over the single as he and the tomboy walked out of the station together and Haruka had to ask about the situation between those two. Josh explained that this woman was just a really bad woman that needed to be dealt with. Haruka left it alone at that and when she dropped Josh back off at the house he bowed politely before heading in and straight for his room and wished that he could talk to Zoisite about what happened today but he was back with his comrades and Josh didn't feel like disturbing him even though Zoi had told Joshua that if he ever wanted to talk he knew how to find him.

The next day the figures for the new "Sakura Fubuki" recording came out and as expected Josh and Minako SMASHED Mio's sales and airplay out of the park! It was a day that no one thought could have been made any better except when Josh found out that his "one time" Album broke sales records. This half tempted Josh to pursue singing but he knew that is what Minako was REALLY good at and he didn't want to seem like competition and besides...he had other fish to fry!

Speaking of which...

That night the usual suspects were in a construction site trading blows with each other when Ami got knocked for a loop HARD! Nothing like what Rei experienced before but it was still bad and if you wanted an indication of how bad well...SOMEONE felt but not who you think!

_Juuban Hospital_

"OW! What the..." Saeko cut herself off before she allowed herself to utter a curse. This wasn't the first time she had a headache like this because there was a time prior or two but she had no idea what was causing them. She called a colleague of hers but she couldn't make it and this caused her to have to leave her desk for a minute. The minute she did a bracelet similar that of Rei and Mako's appeared on her desk in the same jewelry box that Ami's showed up in.

SOMEONE was about to pay!

End of Act 24

NEXT TIME...

The idol war has begun and this time Minako has some help in Joshua Curtis but the Senshi have bigger problems and a new ally is about to enter the fray! Who is she and why? Find out in Act 25 of Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon R: "Family Business"


	25. Family Business

A/N: THIS is Act 25! This is by FAR the longest story I have wrote to date so far and it is one of the most enjoyable I have had the pleasure of writing. If you have favorited, reviewed or put this on your alert I thank you and even if you just happened by and started reading this and still enjoyed it I thank you all just the same.

Good day and God Bless

Joshua Curtis a.k.a. ShootingStar147

Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon R

Act 25

Saeko returned from getting her headache meds when she saw a very stylish jewelry box sitting at her station. When she looked at it and then saw that there was a note attached to it she immediately looked at the note and when she read it she immediately stuck it in her pocket and then took care of her business by closing up early while putting on her newest piece of jewelry and RAN out the front door to her car damn near breaking every speed limit you could but she knew one thing: Her daughter was in danger!

Back at the fight the Senshi were doing everything that they possibly could to fight off the droids that were coming and there seemed no end in sight. Cloud was keeping tabs on the casualty count and mercifully no one was seriously hurt save Mercury nearly had a sprain to her right ankle. Everything was looking like they were FINALLY going to be defeated and THEN Cloud heard a phrase that was more shocking in a good way than bad:

"ICE...

STAFF...

CRUSH!"

When everyone looked up the droids that were frozen solid and when they looked around NO ONE was around! Moon didn't look a gift horse in the mouth though and performed the Twilight Flash to polish off the rest of the enemies. Cloud replayed the phrase that he heard along with everyone else and even went in the direction of where the voice came from and didn't find anyone. What he did find was an ice crystal in the shape of a snowflake as a sign that the person was there. Who was it and what were they doing there? This was going to require some investigation!

The investigation started the following day after school when Joshua and Natsumi went and talked to Makoto about what happened and if she saw anything. Makoto said she had her back turned and didn't see anyone coming from her direction when the blast came out. She DID hear the voice and it was a definitive female voice but it wasn't her or any Senshi that were there. Joshua asked Natsumi if it was her but her attacks are all energy based and NOT Ice based like Ami's. Josh had started wondering if what he saw was an aberration but the crystal that he had in his possession told him otherwise. SOMEONE made that crystal and helped the Senshi out but WHO?

The mystery only got deeper over the next two go-rounds and this time the temperature DROPPED 30 DEGREES! This wouldn't have been a problem except when fight ended you'd have sworn it was SUPPOSED to snow and it WASN'T! When Cloud went looking for the person again he ,along with Mercury found 2 ice crystals in the location they swore they heard the voice come from. The funny part about all of this was the fact that when they showed the crystals to everyone the immediate assumption was Ami learned how to make them. Plausible except when you looked at the evidence that they had that she DIDN'T do it it became all that more intriguing.

The next day when Joshua got home from work he saw Saeko was in the kitchen with Makoto preparing a dinner for the four of them as Ami was going to do her best to get home early to have a nice dinner. Josh was happy to hear this and even happier that Makoto stopped by for a visit. If only Josh knew that it wasn't a pleasure visit AND he hadn't spotted the bracelet on his mother's arm!

She couldn't be...could she?

This train of thought was going to have to wait at the station as Ami came home and dinner was just about ready at about 5 PM. The feast that Makoto ended up helping Saeko make was one that made the co-workers jealous when both Saeko and Joshua had their lunches for the next day. Dr. Mizuno joked that Makoto should move in with them but was politely declined as Mako informed the doc that she had a nice apartment next to where her son had briefly been staying. Saeko nodded and told her that if she ever reconsidered that they had a spare room for her.

That night when the girls were out doing their "Senshi Business" Joshua decided to pop in for a visit on Zoisite and see if he could shed some light on the mystery as to what the [BLEEP] had been going on lately. Zoi wasn't talking about it but was greatly worried that Josh looked like crap. Josh responded in kind and asked his friend if he had been eating right. It was a known fact that in the Moon Kingdom there were stretches of DAYS where Zoi didn't eat and it always worried Joshua. Zoi was a good friend and he just didn't like to see him do this to himself.

As Joshua braved going further into the "Den" he saw the rest of the gang sitting around not worried about too much and this told Joshua that something was amidst but he didn't dare ask about it in case one of them was in a testy mood. Kunzite was usually the kind of person that if you asked him the wrong question at the wrong time you were fixing to get your ass whipped and he didn't think kindly of it. Josh DID get a congrats o the single that he and Minako released and on his album. Apparently the Shitennou were big fans of music and they couldn't stand the ear raping that Mio's songs were giving them...at least that's what Zoisite said!

When Josh asked Nephrite if he knew anything about if there was anyone that he knew could make ice crystals he told him Ami but when Josh told him the person that was making these they couldn't see but they could hear Jadeite spoke up. "Are you sure you aren't hearing things Curtis-san?" The blonde asked and Josh shook his head. There was something they weren't telling him and he knew that he was going to have to go pay a visit to the one man that always shot straight with him...

"Sorry Curtis-san" Zoisite began "I know about as much as you do. What I DO know is that Nephrite paged Luna to come here not that long ago and help him with something. He and Jadeite were working on a project and needed Luna's help with it. After I heard they needed Luna's help I stopped asking questions because we generally don't get mixed up with the Senshi just in case and we both know that right?" Zoi asked and Josh nodded. The Shitennou asked Luna for help on a project? What could it have been?

This question would have to be put on hold because as soon as Josh got back to Ami's he got a call on the phone from Mercury to come to the Juuban High. A droid attacked there again and this one was nasty! If you wanna know just HOW nasty well let's say that when Mars made the comment during the fight that "You could hit this thing with a Sherman Tank and it will still live" that tells you its time to pack a lunch(or one of Jupiter's Bentou Boxes) and get ready to dig in. During this fight the Senshi were able to drive the monster through a window where on the other side Ail and En were waiting to pick the thing off in the courtyard but again it didn't exactly work out the way they hoped and the droid got away. When everyone(including Tuxedo Kamen) caught up to the droid it was frozen in a ice block and all eyes pointed to Ami but not even she had THAT kind of power...right?

"Okay this is getting stranger and stranger but we don't have time to argue about this...Sailor Moon NOW!" Cloud exclaimed and Moon complied as Cloud noticed a trail of three ice crystals in the shape of snowflakes leading to a tree in the courtyard. Stuck on that tree was a note that he read to himself and then showed it to the rest of the girls before they parted company for the night. Cloud picked up the crystals and took them with him as he knew that something big was gonna go down but the question was a simple one: When?

_Ask and ye shall receive_...

The next day Joshua headed for the CROWN with his basket of ice crystals that he had been picking up after the fights. The crystals were beautiful looking snowflakes that were made by either a something or a someONE and that was the question that Josh was hoping to answer in his room while he waited for the rest of the girls in the base. "Alright whomever you are...let's get to matching!" Joshua exclaimed as he tried to run the crystals through his computer. Sadly the computer programs Luna installed didn't have anything for analyzing ice crystals and that annoyed Joshua greatly. How was he supposed to help the Senshi uncover this mystery without the program?

His annoyed state didn't last long when he heard Ami come into the base and he came out to see her. He was always happy to see his sis no matter if they were fighting enemies or just lounging around. It was one of those things that made their bond special and he outright knew it.

"What's good sis?" Josh asked and Ami just looked over at her older brother and smiled before speaking. "Not much bro. I went to the hospital to see if Mom was there and they said that she called out sick today. That's unlike her because she almost never gets ill and even if she does she always had me help her. Today she ordered me to come here! Odd...don't ya think?" Ami asked and Josh nodded. Something wasn't adding up with the way Saeko was acting and the crystals he was getting. THIS required further investigation.

That night Josh purposely stayed overnight at the CROWN as did Ami. They decided that they were going to try and monitor the situation from there and see if they could pick up any kind of abnormalities with a battle. The interesting thing was that there were no battles in the areas they were monitoring but at about 1 AM Josh got a call from Luna that she was bringing a special guest to the HQ. Josh told Ami to go out in the meeting area to greet this individual and she complied as they waited for the guest...

_An hour later_...

"So this is the place Luna?" Saeko asked and Luna nodded as they entered the facility unabated and looked around at the emptiness of the Karaoke. Luna thought to herself that when she called Joshua he'd have had been waiting for her at the entrance but then thought that maybe he was busy working on something and that's why he didn't come out.

When the duo got to where the HQ was located Luna opened the door and told Saeko to wait there and she complied. When Luna came down the stairs and saw Ami reading she smiled before speaking. "Being as studious as always right Ami?" Luna asked as she bounded down the stairs of the HQ. "Very much so Luna. I heard about the phone call you made to my brother and he asked me to stay with him for when our visitor showed up. Could you tell me about this person?" Ami asked and Luna just smiled before telling Saeko to come in and when she said that Ami's eyes grew to be as big as golf balls! What in the world just happened?

"Ami I'm sure you recognize this woman am I right?" Luna asked and Ami just nodded. What was her mother doing there? This was going to take some explaining she was sure but first Saeko had one more person to visit...

Luna rang the buzzer to Joshua's room and when he looked up he just saw Luna in the picture and waved her in. He had NO Earthly idea whom was hidden from the shot yet! "What can I do for you Luna?" Josh asked as Luna took her usual seat by his desk. "Oh not much Curtis-san. I just wanted to see how my favorite nocturnal Warrior was doing is all." She explained and Josh nodded as he accepted her answer. When Luna saw the crystals by his computer she knew what he was doing and he didn't see her wave in Saeko...matter of fact he had no idea she was even IN THE BASE! As Joshua was busy typing on his computer he felt a hand on his right shoulder. Whom it was he hadn't a clue!

"Working hard Joshua?" The woman asked and Josh just nodded. Since he hadn't bothered to look at his mirror he didn't know who was behind him. "Yeah sis but these properties are a pain in the neck. Whoever made these crystals made them in a way that can't be read by a normal program." He said and the woman just smiled as he really didn't know who it was yet!

"Ami's in the other room Joshua...wanna try again?" Saeko said as she was having fun playing this game with her son. "Hmm okay so if its not Ami then...[snaps fingers] REI-CHAN!" Josh exclaimed before looking at Luna and seeing her giggle in response before telling him to turn around. When Josh did he had to bite his tongue to fight back the urge to curse and decided to ask Luna the following question:

"What's going on?"

Luna instructed him to go out into the meeting room with Ami and all would be explained. Joshua did as told and took his seat next to his sister as Luna explained the situation. When she was finished explaining Josh went for the Coke and downed three glasses before speaking again. "So you're telling me that our mother is..."

"Going to be helping us? Yes that's the way it seems bro. What do you think about this?" Ami asked and Josh just took his seat again before speaking. "It'll be an honour to fight alongside my sister and my mother but Mom...are you okay with this?" Josh asked and Saeko nodded. "I will do whatever I can to help you and the rest of your friends from this day forward against any of the evils that we face. My goal is to help serve Serenity the best way that I can and to support you all. Let's do our best against the enemy and make them pay for all that they've done to us!" Saeko exclaimed and this caused the two Mercurian siblings to look at each other ,then Saeko and then back to each other before uttering the following:

"That's our mom!"

End of Act 25

NEXT TIME...

Minako: Mio's causing problems again

Joshua: So what else is new?

Minako: She's trying to get her supporters back for her by the truckload

Joshua: Aww hell!

Minako: What do we do about it?

Joshua: I have a solution but I don't know how much you'll end up liking it!

Next time on Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon R: Death of an Idol


	26. Death of an Idol

Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon R

Act 26

It had been a few days since the revelation that Saeko was the newest ally to the Senshi and the aftershocks were still being felt! Ami was wondering how it was going to affect her mother at work while Rei was immensely appreciative of the fact that they had the help of the Mizuno clan. While Josh was at school he kept an eye on Mio to see if she pulled anymore garbage with all eyes on her and it had gotten so bad that she eventually stopped coming to school. Did Josh feel a tick bad about it? Yes and no. He DID because he never wanted to see a student drop out for any reason but he also knew the history that she had in that school and none of it was good! Basically it was her own doing and none of Josh's students were to blame for it!

As the day went on Josh went for a stop at the mansion where he and the Senshi helped her out of a bind when a droid attacked during what was being called the "Mars Crisis". When he got there and to the front gate Dark behaved himself as Josh walked past him and when he got to the front door Ms. Kanazuki was awaiting his arrival.

"Good Afternoon Mr. Curtis" She started "what brings you to our place of residence today?" Mai asked and Josh just smiled at the Baron's secretary before speaking. "Not much my dear. I figured I haven't been here in a while since the little problem occurred and I just wanted to check and see if there were any more problems that occurred here in the past couple of months." Josh explained and Mai just shook her head but did advise him to speak with the Maids to see if they knew anything. Josh complied and worked his way deeper into the building keeping an eye out for any nasty surprises that could spring up.

"So you haven't had any issues here?" Josh asked the brunette that he ran into named Nana Morimura. Nana was the maid under another woman named Risa Mizutani whom Joshua was going to interview next when Nana asked what was going on. "One of my students has been causing a lot of problems in the school I teach at. Her name is Kuroki Mio and she IS a troublemaker. She is not someone that I would want you or Risa to get involved with but if she happens here I would like either you ,Risa ,Mai or the Baron to give me a ring and I'll be here with the 'proper people' to deal with her like we were last time when they attacked Mai...alright?" Josh asked and Nana nodded as Josh made his way down the hall to speak with Risa and the conversation was relatively similar and when he left he closed the door behind him and headed on out.

That night when Josh got home he popped open his minidisc and played the disc that he had just gotten in the mail from an "unknown address". That was Zoisite's way of saying that he needed to speak with Joshua and when the song played on the disc the door opened behind him and off he went to see his music loving friend to see what was up on his end.

_Zoisite's Room_

Have I ever mentioned how creepy his room is? Well it is!

Josh entered through the portal to his friend's room and the first thing he did was ask Zoisite what was on his mind on this occasion. "You've been fighting a lot of the droids that were employed by the Black Moon and Mio haven't you Joshua?" Zoi asked and Josh nodded. NOTHING gets past Zoisite even though they don't communicate through a stone anymore. Josh kind of liked that but also at times found that outright creepy...he just didn't have the guts to say it!

"We fear that Mio is about to get desperate soon and you know that expression about desperate people right?" Zoisite asked and Josh nodded. Josh did tell him about the fact that Mio wasn't in his school anymore and how that worried him. Zoisite understood his friends concern and told him that the rest of the Shitennou was going to be deployed to Tokyo to help keep an eye on the situation. Endyimon had already been sent a message by him that they were going to be there to watch for that girl and see what she did next. Josh was well aware of the fact that the Earth Prince was in fact Endyimon and was fine with him finding out...after all he had his own version of backup if he needed it in Mai and her Maids!

The rest of the conversation was a lot less serious and Josh listened to his friend play. Nephrite did come in once to see who Zoisite was talking to and when he saw Josh he didn't say anything more. Nephrite never had a problem with Josh ever since he met Ami. His loyalty to the Ice Senshi made damn sure of that. He was surprised to find out that Josh's mother now was an ally to the group. He questioned that a bit but at the same time Queen Mercury was a tough girl and could handle herself well...why should Saeko be any different?

Short answer: She wasn't!

What gave that away? Well when the elder Mizuno showed up at the HQ and showed Motoki her pass the first thing Luna did was put her through her paces in the Guardian Training. Was it a problem? Hardly! Saeko did hers without breaking a sweat and this greatly pleased Luna as it did Joshua and Ami. Talk about something running in the family eh?

"So how are you managing to come here AND work the Hospital mom? Won't this wear you out?" Josh asked worriedly but Saeko just shook her head before speaking. "This kind of stuff is going to be a good workout Joshua and trust me I need it! The joke going around on my shift is I need to find a way to get in shape after all the coffee I drink on my shifts." Saeko joked and Josh had to stifle a giggle. He knew that his mom was one of the more athletic members of the family while Ami was the more intellectual between the two siblings. Luna almost slipped and brought up how the mother and daughter were going to get along after a fight they had but caught herself just in time. Saeko did say however that that was all water under the bridge and they will work fine together. Josh nodded his approval and Luna smiled.

The first true fight with all of the Senshi assembled and Cloud against the Black Moon came when during the battle Cloud headed off a blast that was aimed for Mercury's head! No one knew what the effect would have been and no one wanted to find out either! Mio showed up during this fight standing as far away from it as she could to act like she had nothing to do with it. Cloud saw through that and told Venus to go after her while they fought the droids. Venus complied with the order and their fight went on for a good while during the time that the rest of the team went after the souped up droids that the Black Moon threw at them. When Saeko(now in her "Royal" form) charged up her crush attack the first word out of her mouth was "MOVE!" and everyone listened! The crush left a nice powder trail of snow up to the enemy which was frozen in its block of ice. This was the cue for Sailor Moon to hit the "Twilight Flash" and she did to vaporize the enemy and then they moved over to help out Venus whom was having her hands full with Mio. The bothersome idol managed to sweep Venus' legs out from under her and run off disappearing into the night and getting one over on the Senshi this go around. Bad news for her was...there was going to be another chance soon!

That next try came when the Senshi and Mio specifically fought in the area where the Ice cream stand was located. This time Mio had a new trick up her sleeve in making illusions of herself while a mass amount of droids went after the Senshi. Again Venus was tasked with going after the bothersome idol and again it was a problem. The droids were equally as bothrsome because they were Ice based! This meant that for the most part the Mercurian Trio was rendered useless for a little while and Mars told the trio to try and help out Venus. The Mizunos had NO problem with this order and neither did Cloud. He might not have been best mates with Venus at one time but that was in the past and this was the present. Mars and Moon teamed up to get rid of the droid(along with Endyimon's help) while Jupiter went and tried to track the real Mio down. This was going to be a MASSIVE problem and they knew this! The tricky Kuroki struck Jupiter in the back of the head with a blow that could have drawn blood but somehow didn't! Jupiter cursed herself while the Elder Mizuno used her power to heal the wound irregardless how minor it might have been. She knew about the Mars situation and didn't need another head injury for her girls!

"What are we going to do about this bit..."

[SLAP!]

First rule of working with Saeko: No unnecessary swearing or you get slapped...Josh sadly found THIS out!

Two failed attempts at trying to get that girl and they had another close one which prompted the outburst from Joshua when he got smacked. Saeko understood he was frustrated...hell they all were but she wasn't going to tolerate him acting that way. Makoto saw Josh rubbing his cheek and knew that she needed to invest in some soap to wash her own mouth out after the times she dropped "F Bombs" all over the place when dealing with certain people. It was DEFINITELY a new era in the Senshi's history

"Now then" Saeko started "What ARE we going to do about this young lady? It would appear that whenever we get her where we want her she finds a way to outfox us and ask Ami you have to pull an all nighter to outsmart her. We are going to have to think of a way to trick her or at least enlist some backup for that vixen!" Saeko exclaimed and Josh had a good ponder before he snapped upright and then went to his room to make a phone call. He had a plan that he wasn't saying a DAMN THING about until he had all his particulars in order.

A few minutes later and Josh emerged from his room and told the gang that everything was taken care of. Usagi asked what was going on and Josh told her that he called in a favor with some people that they helped before. It was the big mansion that they visited once before and Makoto knew EXACTLY where they were going...this was going to be FUN!

Two days later and they were back at it. This time Cloud and Venus hatched a plan to trick Mio to get her to follow them to the Mansion where the rest of the girls were waiting and her death would be imminent! To make things even better when Nephrite got wind of the idea through Ami he and the rest of the Shitennou decided to assist in the killing of the girl. Saeko usually isn't one to condone taking a person's life but for this particular occasion she went to "that place" and you know what I'm talking about...the place that is where your most sinister side awaits your beckoned call!

The fight started out fairly tame and when Mio realized she was only facing two of the members of the team she decided to go easy and take them on her own. This worked for a little while and it got Cloud and Venus to run away from the fight...little did Mio realize that when she followed them that's what they wanted her to do! The fight degenerated into a brawl and Mio knocked Venus into the gate which jarred it open and after shaking the cobwebs the fight continued into the courtyard. "Phase 1" was now completed!

The next phase was going to be tricky because of Dark. They couldn't let him scare Mio or else she would catch on and run off. The Baron took this into consideration and penned its lovely pet up so that when the fight got to the courtyard they were not going to be bothered by the well-trained housepet!

Cloud got an advantage on Mio and threw her over his shoulder down the walkway and then bull rushed and gave her a good stiff shot! Mio did hit him with a blast to knock him back but the advantage was short lived when Venus gave her a thrust kick right into the stomach and that knocked her to the open entrance of the Mansion. Cloud and Venus now knew that if they got her in there she was as good as screwed and Mio realized what was going on herself. The problem was by the time she figured it out she was shackled by the Love Me Chain and couldn't do jack squat!

It only got worse for Mio too because even when she broke the chain she was trapped and when she ran to get away from her attackers she tripped and fell into a makeshift noose that Mai had made and the other end of it was attached to Nana's doorknob! See where this is going yet? Mio didn't until she was sent dangling over the windowsill where Nephrite was waiting to pull on one end while Nana pulled on the door! The cou de gras? When Joshua met with the Baron prior to this he asked to borrow a sword. Mai and The Baron knew what it was for and they willingly agreed to help with this matter(especially in exchange for Josh keeping the Baron's true identity a secret) and gave him one of the most cherished swords in the collection. Who got to use it? Not Ami but rather...

"Her"

Yeah The Baron's sword was in the possession of Saeko and while the troubled idol was sitting there trying to wiggle her way out of the noose the "Ice Queen" lived up to her name and showed no emotion when she said what she had to say to Mio...

"You've been nothing but a bother to me and my friends here. Venus told me that you were trying to start problems with her again and we just can't allow that! You see when you mess with me or my children you put me in a VERY dark place my dear...a place that I hate going but yet you forced me to have to do it. Goodbye Mio."

And with that she took the Baron's sword and carved up Kuroki but good! The comment that Mai made was "Hannibal Lecter would be astonished at the carnage you just made!" and the Queen just smiled as she wiped off the blade of the Baron's sword before handing it back to Mai.

Mio Kuroki was now dead...and she wasn't coming back!

End of Act 26


	27. The Queen and the Musician

A/N: Many apologies my readers. I've been busy with some other hobbies of mine and they required my creative energy to be placed in that direction. For at least the next week or so I'll be focusing on this fic for you all and I hope what I give you will have been worth the wait

Enjoy!

Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon R

Act 27

_48 Hours later..._

It had been two days since the slaying of Mio Kuroki and suffice to say most of the group was happy to have her gone. Minako didn't have to worry about her trying to sabotage her any more and the rest of the girls were just happy to have the headache eliminated from their existence. It was a happy time for most of the group assembled but it DID have its issues with screwing with one person's psyche

"So she hasn't been at work in the past two days at all?" Joshua asked Luna whom shook her head when he asked. Joshua had wanted her to keep an eye on Saeko because he knew that she wasn't thrilled with where she HAD to go to eliminate a problem. The thing was she DID do the right thing but trying to explain that to her was going to be hard because when she's in her "mood" as Ami called it you wouldn't be able to talk to her for a little while.

"No go Curtis-san and to make matters worse Minako went yesterday to say 'Thank you' for helping her when she was sick. The thing about it is when the nurses told her that your mom wasn't going to be in she canceled her appearance at the hospital until she comes back!" Luna exclaimed and this got Joshua thinking on a few fronts. For one their mother wasn't usually the type of person to let stuff get to her except for maybe the time her and Ami had a fight but second if Saeko starts losing confidence in herself then what good will she be if they need her down the line?

If there was any saving grace for Joshua it was that Usagi was going to be having a party soon. The party had nothing to do with the slaying of Mio but more she just wanted to do something to boost morale because of the trauma that the events may have caused. Luna smiled when she heard this(although she was trying to cut down on the sweets she was eating) and Joshua just liked hanging out with his new friends and Chibi-Usa came at the request of Mamoru despite the fact that no one heard from him since the falling out that the two had a while back.

How was the party? Pure ,unadulterated ,nonsensical FUN! Ami and Joshua got up on the stage and sang their hearts out and Rei did "THE song" with her boyfriend. Ami almost got jealous but remembered that a friend of hers had come back recently and she was gonna go visit him the next day. At the party Josh had to break up maybe ONE fight and that dealt specifically with Chibi and Luna over a cookie. He would have reprimanded them but when you realize that they are both kids and don't know any better then you just let it all go ya know?

The party ended and all was well with everyone. Luna went home with Joshua and Ami and Chibi Usa went home with Usagi while everyone else went to their respective homes. On the way home Luna happened to bring up the subject of Saeko's separation from the group and Josh knew that it couln't be avoided anymore.

"Do you think we lost your mother for good Joshua? I don't want to lose a strong Guardian like her but at the same time I understand her situation with what happened and all that." Luna explained and Joshua didn't really acknowledge it. It wasn't that he didn't want to talk about it with his favorite kitty but it was just a little painful even for him. Ami on the other hand decided to have a crack at it!

"Mom is a strong woman Luna" She began "the thing that we all have to know is that what happened was very much traumatic for her. I know that Joshua was very much in a state of shock when he killed Rubeus so imagine what mom is going through right now." Ami explained and Luna nodded as she walked hand in hand with Joshua back towards home. Joshua knew that Luna was there and for that he was grateful. There are few people that he confided in since he came to Japan and Luna was one of them. He never openly said it but if something happened to her he would be lost beyond recognition. This also explained to the group why in the next mission after the party that Cloud did all he could to protect Luna from injury. Rei noticed this and was happy because it showed without question that Cloud's head and heart were in the right place.

It would be another three days before anyone tried to talk to Saeko but by then she had already returned back to her post at the hospital and was feeling much better. The issue about her killing Mio had been put out of mind to her and she wouldn't discuss it anymore with anyone. This was a good sign and it was even better when she saw Joshua and the mother and son combo of Mercury just chatted about randomness. The beautiful part about this was when they were in the cafeteria Minako showed up to do her performance that she rescheduled after the fallout from the battle. The really cool bit came when they were sitting in the back of the audience and Minako spotted Joshua out of the corner of her eye. Minako invited the mother and son to come to the front for a song and at first Josh didn't want to. Saeko prodded him to go up there and after a bit of coaching from Minako he agreed and also agreed to do a song that he never practiced. The song he chose was "Irony" by ClariS much to the delight of many of the onlookers and even Saeko got into it! THAT was the best part according to a lot of people because no one ever got to hear her sing at all. This was a treat to be sure.

_Later that night..._

Ami was out with Urawa at the amusement park when Dimande struck with a droid! Ami did her best to hold off the attacker on her own but had to call everyone that she could for backup. Usagi ,Mako and Rei responded immediately but the attacks of that group weren't strong enough. They had to hold the droid off long enough till Joshua showed up and to see whom he showed with! The good news for them was he came with Luna and Saeko and everyone got to work then especially Ami after she temporarily ducked out and I THINK you know why!

"Allow me to reintroduce myself you no good jackass!" Cloud exclaimed at the creature whom immediately focused its attention on the direction of the voice. "The name is Warrior Cloud and this is my dear mum called Queen Mercury and our friend standing to my right..."

"Sailor Luna!"

"And in the name of the Moon and Mercury...:

"WE'LL PUNISH YOU!

After the pleasantries were exchanged the three began their assault on the droid and they threw all they could at the thing but it didn't work! Cloud knew they were in trouble unless Mercury tapped back into that "dark side" of hers...and she obliged!

This was one of the first times when Saeko saw her daughter's dark side but what was more interesting was the fact that she couldn't see that Cloud was directing the traffic with the "Dark One" and Rei couldn't help but smile when she saw DM make her presence felt again! It was one of the few times Rei or anyone could remember being happy that someone with "Evil Intentions" showed up. When that person is related to one of your comrades you don't say much at all though now do you?

The droid tried its best to go after DM but was horribly unsuccessful when it realized the heightened awareness and agility of the Dark Mercury. Her agility was like that of a cat(pardon the pun) and when Saeko saw her going after the droid she was amazed and yet slightly alarmed. She heard about the rap sheet of the "Dark One" but when she saw what Ami did to the droid with a punctuation with the assistance of her brother when they merged for an attack she was stunned speechless and it only got better when Luna applauded their teamwork! The Queen of Mercury snapped out of her trance long enough to aid Moon with her attack and they used the "Flash" with Saeko's Staff to really get at the creature and completely obliterate it! With the dust settled and smoke cleared Cloud knew that he needed to properly introduce the two and that he did.

"Your Highness and Queen of our planet. I would like to introduce you properly to our blood. We know this young lady as Ami Mizuno but every so often the Guardians require a bit more assistance and that is where the form comes into play that you see before you. Some call her 'Dark Mercury' and others now call her DM but I just like to call her Mercury. Sis and Mom I'd like for you two to shake hands right now." Cloud asked and the two did as such. Saeko was still wondering what in the world happened but Cloud promised to explain all himself...problem was someone beat him to it!

You see when Saeko got home sat in her room and stared at the long mirror sitting across from her and just wondered what happened. How did Ami become that...person that she met tonight? What was the price to be paid and was there a sane person that could help her cope with it? The good news was there was an answer but the other part of it was did she want to know whom she had to get the info FROM?

As Saeko sat at her desk and looked over some stuff on her phone a minidisc player appeared next to her with a specially wrote song that was cleverly titled "Saeko's Ballad". There was only one person that she knew of that could in fact write that song and she was eager to hear him play again. She popped in the disc and when she looked behind her a door appeared that she carefully opened and saw Zoisite's room as the maestro orchestrated beautifully at his piano. When Saeko entered the white haired Shittenou looked up and smiled a little before he saw the look of distress in his Queen's face! He carefully moved over on his bench and patted it as a gesture for her to sit next to him. She obliged and just closed her eyes and listened to him play the song for her and was amazed again at how graceful he was at his craft. Zoisite was truly a master of his domain!

While Zoi played(and Saeko got comfortable resting her head on his shoulder and closing her eyes) in the next room where the rest of the Generals met Joshua had just popped in for a visit to see how things were going. He had no idea(and they didn't tell him) that his mother was in the next room being "musically seduced" as it were by Zoisite! As it was Joshua came in for a report on how things were going.

"We had a few fights now recently. You all know about the battle against Mio and somne other fights that we had but tonight was interesting. I say that because tonight for the first time ever Saeko had to come face to face with Mercury's dark side and the fact that I aid her. I'm not quite sure how receptive she is to the idea but factually it needed to be done. If we hid the fact that Mercury got in touch with her dark side again I would be nagged about it till I told her OR she figured it out herself and then possibly came after Kunzite over here!" Joshua exclaimed as he gestured with his head over at Kunzite.

"That's true but the main reason you wanted her back is because of Mars being brainwashed by the Dark Moon. What's keeping you from giving it back?" He asked and Joshua had to think about that before he answered. "I think its the fact that the rest of the Guardians are used to her now and they know someone has a leash on her. Yes she can go ape but factually she's not going to go after any of her teammates or she'll have me in her ear. Besides I don't think she would want to incur the wrath of Nephrite for being insubordinate would she?" Joshua asked and they all had a good think about that statement when Joshua finally heard the music being played and then realized that one of the reasons he came was because mom hadn't come home and he was looking for her! When he got up he took a peek into Zoi's lair and saw what he didn't think he'd ever see: His mother in Zoi's Chamber!

End of Act 27

let me know if this was worth the wait for you :)

Joshua


	28. The Queen's New Power

Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon R

Act 28

"I don't believe it!"

Those were the first words out of the mouth of Joshua as he sat at his computer in the Guardian's HQ with Luna. Joshua had arrived early from the school and was trying to think about what he had seen as it pertained to his mother and Zoisite and tried to get a grip on it from Luna but even she was a bit puzzled by this display of affection as simple as it was.

"Do you think something triggered in Zoisite's head about a possible relationship between the two? Zoi WAS very fond of your mother but I don't remember any romantic links between them." Luna explained and that didn't put Joshua's mind at ease much! The man that was the "Heavenly Warrior" was sitting there just staring at his computer when two familiar faces walked into the meeting area and Joshua smiled when he saw them.

"So things are getting better at school Ami? I heard that boy asked you to the dance today but you declined...something wrong?" Saeko asked and Ami just blushed at the question before answering. "N-no its just...I've never been asked to go anywhere like that and..."

"Relax sis you'd be fine there. The best solution is to try and imagine that its just you and him in the room and all should be well." Joshua chimed in and this caused both Ami and Saeko to jump when they heard him as he sat down and smiled. "What? I've done that once or twice when I went to school in the States and it worked out fine. The only problem with doing that is that your throat gets dry quicker and you end up wanting a drink of water more often than normal." He finished as he got up to get a cup of soda and a cranberry juice for Luna as she came up behind him. Ami and Saeko just nodded as he sat back down knowing that something was on his mind but it was whether he felt like asking about it that kept them in suspense!

_They didn't have to wait long..._

"Mom I got a question" Josh began "what's the story with you and Zoisite? I ask only because about a day or so ago I went looking for you after one our battles and I couldn't find you. I figured you'd either be home or at the hospital but upon inspection found out that you weren't at either. When I went for a visit to see the rest of the Shitennou I heard Zoi play and saw you in his room. What's up?" Joshua finished and Saeko thought about how to explain it to her son.

_FLASHBACK_

It had been a long day in the court of Queen Mercury: Disputes to settle ,hate crimes to solve and a daughter that didn't come out of her den but to eat because of her studies. How does one coupe?

Well the good news for her is she almost always had her son to talk to but he had been called away to escort Mars to an engagement on her planet. Why HE was called and not another officer there was anyone's guess but she never questioned orders and let her son do the job required. This left her for the most part with no one to talk to take the burden off of her shoulders. Whom could she turn to?

_Elsewhere..._

"What's on the agenda tonight men?" Kunzite asked his troops and they all shrugged their shoulders. Nephrite was hoping to go take the Princess of Mercury out on a date but she locked herself up for the night ,Jadeite was planning to go do something with Cloud but he had to attend to matters on Mars and Zoi? Well we know where he always caged himself up by now right?

Suffice to say that Kunzite wasn't a happy camper and all but barged into Zoi's room to try and get SOMEONE to go do something so he didn't have to stare at all of them on their free time! The problem? Zoi always seals his room up but good so that he can't be disturbed. About the only person he lets into the room is Cloud but that's cos they have very similar musical tastes. If it wasn't for that(and his secret fondness for someone close to Cloud) he wouldn't have let HIM in either and Cloud knew that and always showed respect for the musical prodigy.

_Speaking of Zoi..._

It was a slow night for the sliver-haired general. Why? Well the compositions that he was trying to make just weren't coming together and he was getting unusually frustrated! Zoisite could usually come up with something on the fly no matter how it was but not in this case. He needed an inspiration but what or WHO could inspire him like that?

Having been staring at the blank music sheet sitting in front of him for 10 minutes and getting nowhere fast he decided to leave his room for the first time in about three days and go for a stroll. Where he ended up he didn't care as long as it gave him ideas for a song to write. The good news for him was that he wasn't going to have to wait too long to get an idea!

Why? Well as he walked out of his room he took a step into Mercury's realm and looked around at the peacefulness and serenity(no pun intended) of the place. There were only three people that he knew of that could make the place that calm and one just happened to be out on a stroll herself when he saw her!

The Queen of Mercury was out and about on a stroll looking through her flowers that Jupiter planted for her the last time she was there on a visit and saw a special white lily that the "Nature Princess" planted. Was this intended for someone special?

"Lovely night for a nature walk isn't it?" Zoisite asked as he approached the "Ice Queen" and the Queen just smiled as she saw the musician approach her. "Yes it is Zoisite. Its been a heck of a day and for me I just needed to get out of the Palace for a minute. The pure hell that I go through trying to make sure the peace is maintained is something I would never ask my worst enemy to do!" She exclaimed and this got a kind of smirk from Zoisite. The Queen knew that he didn't mean ill with it but sometimes his expressions can be misconstrued as such.

"Tell me something my Queen...if you didn't have to run the kingdom on your own what would you do?" Zoisite asked and the Queen had to think about this long and hard before answering as truthfully and honestly as she could. "That...is a very good question my friend. I think it would be nice to go out and just do nothing or maybe go with my son and listen to a good concert once in a while. I dunno how he does it honestly but when he gets the free time he goes and either listens to you play OR he goes to Neptune's planet and listens to her play on her violin. The only time he doesn't go there or show his face around her is when he sees Uranus. I don't know what happened between the two but Cloud doesn't like her at all!" the Queen explained and Zoi took this all in and then his eyes snapped open as if he was in a trance! The Princess ,whom had just come out to see what was going on, would have asked if Zoi was feeling okay but he bolted back to his room so quick that she didn't get to ask!

"Mom" The Princess started "what was that about?" she finished and the Queen didn't say anything as she watched the General fade off into the distance and head back to his lair in a cloud of dust where he quickly used his new motivation to write the ballad for his Queen...

She wouldn't get to hear it for quite some time!

_END FLASHBACK_

"So let's see if I got this straight...you fell in love with Zoisite over his music? Don't get me wrong the man has a way with a piano and it amazes me that he hasn't tried to ply his craft in our world but...did you ever worry about the age gap?" Joshua asked and Saeko shook her head. She had always cared about Zoisite and ,as Joshua found out, always worried that he was going to develop an antisocial complex. Joshua of course knew differently as he was one of the few people that he trusted with his secrets and was grateful for that.

"What about you and Mars? Do you ever worry that people will start talking because you are dating her and teach at her school on a sub basis?" Saeko asked and Joshua quickly shook his head no. He knew that he would never use his position to put Rei in the position to have to leave the school or anything like that. In that case it would be the punkass students that pick on her that would make her leave before anything. When he explained that Saeko felt more at ease and went about the rest of the visit there just in a normal fashion...well as normal as could be when a "catperson" is peeking over your shoulder at the cake sitting in front of you!

"I think someone wants your snack mom." Josh said with a smile and when Saeko looked over her shoulder she saw the smiling face of Luna staring at her. "Luna dear I haven't eaten since lunch but I'll give you half okay?" She asked and the smiling Luna nodded as she handed Saeko her plate and gladly took the half and ate it carefully. Saeko watched happily as Luna ate her half and Josh couldn't help but smile because of how close they had become...not like him and Rei-chan but close in a sense that whenever he needs someone to talk to Luna always happens to be there when the Mizunos need her!

That night in the public library one of Diamande's new droids was causing a stink when "The Mercury Clan" as Rei calls them now showed up with Mars ,Venus and Moon! Jupiter had come down with a virus and was unable to make it. As the fight dragged on between them and the Droid ,Cloud was about to attempt his "Crash" when he got knocked back into one of the bookshelfs and ,while he didn't knock any of the books over, he was rendered useless for the rest of the fight and this pissed off not just Ami but Saeko as well!

_And then "IT" happened..._

Mercury was getting ready to "Amp up" as they called it but out of nowhere a song started playing through the speakers and something appeared on Saeko's arm. What it was wasn't explained but she KNEW whom had to be behind it! The surge of power that went through her body was one of immense pleasure and when she felt it her first order to Mercury was a simple one:

"Get that thing out of here...NOW!"

Mercury didn't ask questions and unleashed her dark side on the droid knocking it out of the building at out onto the street through the shut doors! What happened next either happened or it was a dream...depending whom you ask!

"You injured my SON! You don't know what you did do you now? Well in about 10 seconds you'll know all you need to know!" She exclaimed and everyone within earshot just stood back as she stormed out of the library with DM in tow and the power of the armlet gave her a power she never knew she had!

"BLUE...

(UH OH!)

COMET...

(WHA?)

SMMMMAAAAAAAAASSSSSSHHHHHH!"

And with that an assault of damn near 50 blue boulders came down on the monster and destroyed it! Surprisingly no structural damage to any buildings but lets just say that the temp outside gave new meaning to a term we shall not discuss right now!

NOTE TO DIMANDE: You piss off a person...make sure their mother isn't one of the Guardians or hell WILL freeze over!

End of Chapter 28


	29. Pass the Test

NOTE: Well kids…we're back and I don't mind saying that its been a long time and I do apologize to the people that have followed this story since its inception. I promise you we WILL finish this story very soon and then get on with the S season for PGSM.

To all the people whom have favorite ,commented on and PMed me during the time this story has been going on I thank you for the comments and the patience but let's just say that I had some issues I had to deal with and I needed to get back to my personal "comfort zone" and it took me a good whileto get there. I thank you all for your patience and with that let's get on with it shall we?

Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon

Act 29

"HOLY HELL!"

This…as you could imagine was the sound that came from one "Warrior" or for those that may be new Joshua as he walked into the T*A school with an ice pack on his head! The reason that he gave to the front office was he slipped and bumped his head which caused a bit of a headache but he knew the real reason for it and he wasn't thrilled about it either.

As the day wore on Joshua's mood changed to the more pleasant that the students were accustomed to and, with the help of Rei, managed to keep the peace especially during lunch when he got a call from…well read for yourself

*RING RING*

Joshua: 'Ello

Woman: How's your head?

Joshua: Depends…how do you like getting hung up on!

Josh flipped his cell shut but the phone rang again and well…

*RING RING*

Joshua: Do you not get that we aren't cool and you shouldn't be calling me especially during class!

Woman: It IS your lunch break right?

Joshua: BITE ME!

Figure it out yet? Well Josh did and that's why when the phone rang the third time he took it outside and had at it with the person

*RING RING*

Joshua: Haruka how the hell did you get this number?

Haruka: Its listed

Joshua: Right and I get my ass waxed every Sunday!

Haruka: Fine…I had a friend of mine on the track team track it down

Joshua: And why was this?

Haruka: I wanted to see how you were feeling after the incident in the school that's on the news.

Joshua: Does "splitting headache" mean anything to ya?

Haruka: Just be careful. You know what would happen if you went critical right?

Joshua: Mom goes apes**t and 2012 comes early. Trust me I was witness to one time she went crazy and it wasn't pretty

Haruka: Just take it easy alright? Try to lay low for a little while.

Joshua: If I gave a darn what you thought I'd take that into consideration

Haruka: Have it your way

And with that Haruka hung the phone up and Josh went back into the classroom for the rest of his work day with the students which was something he absolutely enjoyed to say the least…at least he wasn't Usagi!

Ah yes our dear friend was having a time of it when it came to her studies but it wasn't because she didn't try…quite the opposite actually! Despite the headache that Josh had from the fight he made a special trip to the Tuskinos to help Usagi with some of the subject matter they would be covering but for some reason she just couldn't recall it. What sucked worse was that they were having a test the next day and Joshua was going to be the teacher…how embarrassing would THAT be to flunk a test he helped her study for?

That night Usagi made a trip to Mamoru's house to see if he could help her with the study notes that Joshua gave her and bless his heart he tried ,but even he said that some of the thing would be hard no matter how much she studied the notes. They stayed up all night and went over every detail in the study guide with Usagi nearly falling asleep on Mamoru's table but that's what some good sugary goodness (that Luna couldn't steal since she wasn't there :-p ) is good for. They successfully navigated the study guide and when Usagi went to school that day she couldn't be happier!

As the day marched on and the time for the test drew near Joshua cautioned that there would be no cheating on this test because it was going to help him gauge just how well the students were doing in his class. A single mistake could prove the difference between success and ultimate failure which he didn't want to see any of his students get.

As the test time came and Josh passed out the paper he told the class that they had exactly 30 minutes with no overtime but he didn't use a regular clock…no he used a melody that Zoi had made special for this day. The reason actually was simple: He wanted to gauge the classes attention to detail with the same care that his friend used in composing that melody. What he also didn't tell them, and nor could he, was that he was going to be watching them from Zoi's chamber and the two comrades watched in anticipation on all the class but especially Usagi who he knew had been struggling. The beauty of this test was that the melody was specially made for her at Mamoru's request!

If you're interested the meeting went something like this:

_FLASHBACK_

It was a few days before the test that Joshua was going to give out and Mamoru was a certified wreck! To say he was as nervous as a husband that had a pregnant wife in labor would be a grave understatement but he had to try and remain strong for his beloved and future Queen because if he didn't then there was going to be some serious problems.

But what could Mamoru do? He couldn't change into Usagi's form and take the test for her (Let that image sink in while you remember Zoi from the Anime dressed as Sailor Moon in Drag) so that was out! If she got sick there was NO makeup so she couldn't miss a day AND they were supposed to go out on the night of the test to celebrate her passing but again WHAT could he do?

Getting desperate he got in contact with Zoisite (Don't ask…no one else does) and asked him for a favor and that favor was the melody that was used as the timer. Mamoru knew that Usagi loved music so he had a special melody in mind and he kind of wrote something down fast for his comrade and Zoi actually loved it just with a few tweaks and they got it done the day before the test much to their satisfaction!

_END FLASHBACK__  
__  
_As the duo watched through a special portal Mamoru (Or should that be Endyimon?) came in and observed along with the two friends but frowned when he saw that Usagi was struggling on one question that gave them both fits and Joshua actually looked puzzled as to what the problem was.

"The question is one that I specifically designed for her that was actually less about material I covered and more about a fact she might know about each Senshi…and you Mamoru!" Joshua exclaimed and Mamoru give him a "WTF?" look before the teacher explained further.

"Up to this point Usagi has been around the girls longer than I have and she's been around you obviously a lot more. I want to see what she could tell me about each of the Senshi and what's troubling to me is that the song you had made doesn't seem to be working here! That's a bit odd to me you know." Joshua told Mamoru and he had to think long and hard about each soldier and the one he got stuck on was Joshua's former worst enemy:

Sailor Venus!

"Here let me help you" Joshua started "Venua a.k.a. Aino Minako suffers from an illness that is pretty serious. I visited while she was in the hospital and I had to make a pact with Artemis to not go after her or to at least not be so vile against her. I did that for the team because I didn't want any problems but the one I had and it was a biggie was when she snapped on my sister whom tried to help you guys. I get that Ami WAS evil at one time but now it's a "controlled evil" and you're talking to her keeper. I won't let her get out of hand cos if she dies then I'm DEAD!" Joshua exclaimed and Mamorus's face went from white to green like he was going to be sick when he heard that. Whilst he chewed on that fact the time was expired on the time and Joshua left to collect the quizzes from everyone and when he got Usagi's a part of him felt empty and not because he had to tell off Mamoru a little bit but because he worried how well she actually did on her "bonus" section and as he looked at the sheet he gave his best poker face as he looked at the test sheet.

The minutes felt like hours and as the rest of the students got their tests back(SPOILER: Ami aced it) Usagi's was placed in an envelope for no one to see. Joshua had a reason for this that the other two girls kind of knew while Usagi had to sweat it out for just a little bit longer as her answers to the bonus would be revealed at the CROWN with the rest of the girls assembled.

_An Hour Later…_

The group assembled at the Karaoke and gathered around the table as Joshua stood at the table behind Usagi and explained to the rest of the girls what Zoisite and Mamoru knew before and also apologized to Usagi as Mamoru was asked to be at the reveal but he had night class on this occasion

"Alright so to reiterate girls you were part of the test. For Usagi to pass she had to give at least 4 facts which meant one for Ami, Minako ,Makoto and Rei. I did this because since she's our Princess I wanted to see how well she knew something about you girls alright? Let's get started.."

Ami: Almost always aces the tests given. Once got a red mark to help me clean the school one afternoon

"That's true Joshua. It was when I had to test whether or not a book would lead me astray or not and it almost worked." Ami told her brother and Joshua just nodded and put a checkmark next to it before moving on

Rei: Fiery girl but has a good heart. She had issues with her father at one time but with our help she was able to overcome them and make some kind of peace

"I think I heard about this one from Rei personally. I know what its like from living in the states having family issues and I'm going to let that go. I'm honestly surprised you put that on the test though for something so personal." Joshua commented but Usagi's reply made some sense to him

"I just figured at this time it was good just to get this out there because she is a good friend and someone I think we can all say we care a lot about. I was gonna put something like 'she hates singing' but I didn't know how that would go on the test for ya

"Fair enough…checkmark!" Joshua exclaimed as he heard Usagi squeal like a little schoolgirl (pun intended) as she was halfway home

Makoto: Lives alone after her parents died in a plane crash. Curtis-Sensei calls her "Big Sister Mako"

"We don't need to verify this one…check!"

Minako: Had an issue with Joshua's sister Ami when her "Dark Side" came to aid us. She had a fight with an illness that makes her very sick but she fights through it. Joshua visited her from days straight to watch over her and made peace with the singer even if it was only temporary.

"Well its more than temporary and I won't question how you know about the meeting because I know you are a Minako fan so for that answer you get a…CHECK! You passed but what's this? Did you have some extra time to do one more?"

Luna:

Before he read the answer for Luna he called for his favorite catperson and like magic Luna popped out from behind Joshua and smiled when she saw that Usagi didn't forget her

"Climb on up Luna cos this one's fun!" Joshua exclaimed with a smirk and the small blue-haired girl did just that as Joshua read the answer and almost could stop from laughing…

Luna T.: A good girl and a pleasant addition to the family…now if I can just stop her from eating the popcorn I bring home from the CROWN!

"Luna…do I REALLY have to verify this?" Josh asked the girl looking over his shoulder and he knew the answer straight away as he gave it a check and then because she was feeling it she had one more…for him!

Joshua: Honest ,straightforward and tells it like it is. Mako-chan's "Little Brother" ,Ami's brother and one heck of a vocalist. If you mess with him I can only pray for you because you'll get the wrong end and that's NOT where you want to be!

"Ladies and gents that's 6-6 I think we can call this a wrap and for this occasion lemme go get something…" Joshua walked into his room and into a special room he had designed where he kept his guitars got his amp, plugged said amp in and rocked out to one song in particular that had a spot in Mako's heart

What song was that you ask? How do you like a "Desert Apple"

End of Act 29

NEXT TIME:

Usagi passed her biggest test after the near scare of what happened to her teacher. What will happen for the Guardians next?

Also

Motoki and Makoto on a real date? With no supervision from Luna? What could possibly go wrong?

See you in Act 30!


	30. A Note from the Author

And now for something completely different

Hey gang!

This is just a friendly "Note from the Author" kind of deal just to let you know what's up with the "R" season of "Pretty Guardian" and how I'm hoping to work it out for us from this point forward and on into "S" once that starts.

First let's start with "R":

I am planning on writing out two Acts today so this will officially be "Act 30 and 31" despite this being where 30 would be. My hope is to write out the "Date" chapter and start to get ready to wrap up some of the storylines from this series that won't carry over into the "S" story and also get to figuring out how "R" will transition into "S". I know that I won't be doing an act like the "Follow the Leader" ep from the Anime so that's not gonna happen but what will?

I do already have the ending for the "R" season planned and its going to be a bit on the comedic side whilst also maybe setting up for a side story I have had on my mind with "Darkury" being a used to help solve a crime of some kind. I hadn't fleshed out all the ideas but I know that it will be made reference to when we get to "S" so that's why even though it's a side story it'll still be connected in some way.

I'm not going to put a deadline on when this story ends but I'm thinking with what I have to wrap up we might be going closer to 40 Acts than I originally planned or hoped for. If that kind of bores you I totally understand but I realized everything that I still need to do with it and then went and had an "Aw crap!" moment so we might be close to the 40 range but we'll see.

Now let's talk about "S":

I was talking with someone about that story when for when I get to it and I promise you it won't be nearly as dark as the Anime's season. The reason is because when I reviewed the S Season for the Anime I criticized it for being a "dark" series and I'm not about to be a hypocrite about that so it won't be like what you watched in the original series. With that said there will be one question that WILL be answered as a "What if?" and I'm going to leave it to you to figure out what that is going to be. My plan for that story is to make it actually about 35 Acts with it being a bit more light hearted than Naoko's anime plot.

So we got those two coming right? What about a "SuperS" or "Stars"?

Believe it or not one thing that happened towards the end of one of the more recent Acts in the story we are working with now is alluding to something that would happen if I manage to go to a "Stars" season. That being said however there will NOT be a SuperS because actually what I did with the R story with Curtis and Zoi was my way already of paying homage to the 4th season with Pegasus and Chibi-Usa so no there won't be a "SuperS" but we would go straight to "Stars".

With all this being said I want to thank everyone of you whom has read this story, reviewed it, favorite or whatever else you do on this site with stories. It seriously means a lot to me and I hope that when I get this story done you like the ending as much as I do because I think its gonna be a funny one and considering how violent this season got and will get by the end we need a goofy ending right?

You all take care of yourselves and I promise you that you'll get another chapter from me soon

Joshua


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